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This is the best restaurant gumbo I ever tasted--a spicy, dark-roux, chicken and andouille gumbo flavored with file and served over rice. A critical ingredient is great andouille--one with big chunks of pork inside a thick skin, so it won't fall apart during the cooking. This recipe is for about a gallon and a half of gumbo, enough to serve 12 people--but you can refrigerate it for several days and find that its flavor improves a bit.
- 1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup chopped green peppers
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 1/2 gallons rich chicken stock
- 1 lb. cooked chicken
- 1 lb. andouille sausage, sliced
- 1 tsp. chopped garlic
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 2 Tbs. Louisiana hot sauce
- 1 Tbs. file powder
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
1. In a large, heavy Dutch oven, heat oil over high heat until it almost begins to smoke. Add flour and stir well to make a roux. Cook, stirring constantly until roux is a nutty brown color, then lower heat.
2. Add onions, celery, and peppers. Cook in roux for five minutes, until onions begin to brown.
3. Add chicken stock, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Simmer 15-20 minutes.
4. Cut chicken meat and andouille into bite-size pieces and add to pot. Simmer another 20 minutes.
5. Add hot sauce and green onions, and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper as needed. File can be added in the kitchen, or dusted lightly on the gumbo at the table. Serve with boiled long-grain rice.
Serves about twelve.