Chicken, Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo

I'm not sure if it was in the spirit of the Saints Superbowl win or the upcoming Mardi Gras festivities, but I found myself in the mood for some 'Nawlins home cooking this week. I remembered that I had a huge container of homemade lobster stock in the freezer about the same time the cajun hankering set in so I decided on gumbo. It isn't exactly the perfect weeknight meal seeing as it takes a few hours to pull together- but it was well worth the wait until 9pm for dinner. I loosely referred to a Paula Deen recipe found here.

As usual I cut a few corners and made it my own... Chicken, Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo:

1-14 oz package of smoked turkey sausage (think kielbasa but better for you)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lb (scant) local fresh shrimp
1 large onion- diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper- diced
1 jalepeno- sliced in half length wise
1/2 cup flour
5 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4.5 cups homemade lobster stock* (chicken would work too)
1 14oz can stewed tomatoes with juice
2 cups frozen sliced okra

*A nearby school was selling live Maine lobsters for a fundraiser this summer so we did a lobster night with some friends. I tossed the lobster heads and shells into a huge stock pot with onion, carrots, celery, black peppercorns, and fresh herbs. I covered everything with water and cooked it over low heat for 3 or 4 hours to make a rich stock. I strained it well and froze in a large tupperware container.

For the gumbo, I started with my large le Creuset pot over med-high heat. I drizzled some olive oil in the bottom and then browned the chicken (sliced into bite sized pieces first) with some salt and pepper until just golden. I removed the chicken, set aside in a bowl and next browned the turkey sausage (also sliced into bite sized pieces).   Once the sausage had a little color on it (3 or 4 minutes max) I set it aside and started on the roux.

A roux is made of equal parts flour and fat- it is cooked together to form a paste that acts as a thickening agent in sauces, soups, stews, etc. In this case I added 3 tablespoons or so of butter to oil in the bottom of the pan and then sprinkled the flour in. Paula said to cook the roux for 10 mintues, stirring constantly, however 5 or 6 minutes in, it started to burn to the bottom. I was so afraid to ruin the pot, I scooped the roux out and set it aside in another bowl while I deglazed the pot with some water over the heat, scraping with a wooden spoon.

(This helps loosen the burnt bits, its much easier than soap and srubbing actually, though it eventually came to that as well.) Once it was cleaned, crisis averted, I picked right back up where I left off. I put another glug of olive oil into the pot over medium-high heat and then added my onion, garlic and bell pepper. I didn't have any celery on hand so I skipped it. Emeril Lagasse would frown at the fact I left out the third element of the "holy trinity" but sometimes you have to improvise.

I cooked the vegetables 5 minutes or so before adding the roux back in- I cooked it all together another 3 minutes before adding the 4.5 cups of stock. Mixing well to ensure the nothing was sticking to the bottom this time. I added the chicken and sausage back in, brought it all to a boil and then turned the heat down to low. I let it simmer for 40 minutes - it thicken up very nicely. (At this point I tossed the jalepeno halves in whole for a little heat too- I removed them before serving.)

Next I added the stewed tomatoes and the sliced okra, mixed well and let it simmer for another 30 minutes. I was stirring every so often to avoid sticking- perhaps a bit paranoid by this point. Lastly I tossed in the shrimp (raw but shelled and cleaned of course) and let them cook quickly right in the gumbo, five minutes max.
 
We dished the gumbo over some basmati rice and served with a big slice of warm French baguette and some Texas Pete on the side. YUMMMMY I tell you. It was rich and hearty with a great depth of flavor from cooking it low and slow. (You might notice that I didn't cook it quite as long as Paula instructed but I assure you, it was fantastic nonetheless.) Looking forward to left overs all week!