Louisiana Gumbo

My boyfriend and I had our one year anniversary on Halloween so, to treat him I decided that I was going to make him something he’s been craving a lot lately… gumbo. I’ve never made gumbo before but, I have made jambalaya so, it can’t be that hard… right?  Well, it was fun and he loved it.  He claimed it was the best gumbo he’s ever had… YAY!  So, here’s how it went…

Ingredients:

1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup salted butter (1/2 a stick)
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins, cut into chunks
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 large white onion, diced
approx 6 green onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
5 beef bouillon cubes, crushed
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 lb raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
7 cups water
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
dash of allspice (optional)
rice, cooked according to directions on package and set aside (I used brown rice)

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, cook the smoked sausage until it is browned (starts to curl).  Remove only the sausage (leave the grease in the skillet) and place on a paper toweled plate to drain.
2. In a large dutch oven, heat the butter, vegetable oil, and one spoon-full of the sausage grease over medium heat.
3. Transfer the chicken pieces into the hot oil and cook through.  Remove the cooked chicken from the hot oil and place on the plate with the sausage. 
4. Slowly whisk the flour into the hot oil to make a roux.  Continue cooking the flour and oil mixture, stirring constantly, until it reaches a dark brown color.  This took me approx. 30 minutes; and the darker the roux, the more flavorful the gumbo.
5. When the roux is a dark brown color, add the onion, green bell pepper, and green onion, parsley, and garlic.  Cook stirring constantly for 1 minute.  Add the smoked sausage and chicken.  Stir until all is coated with the roux. 
6. Add 2 cups of water, crushed bouillon cubes, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme, bay leaves, and allspice.  Stir until it has an even consistency.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20-30 minutes. 
7. While this is simmering, heat the left over sausage oils in the skillet.  Once hot, add the raw shrimp and cook through (shrimp pieces will take 2-4 minutes on each side, depending on the temperature of the skillet).  
8. Once the shrimp are cooked and the gumbo has simmered at least 20 minutes, add all of the contents of the skillet (yes, shrimp and grease) to the  rest of the gumbo. Add the remaining 5 cups of water (you can add more water if you would like more broth in your gumbo).
9. Let cook 8-10 minutes.  Remove bay leaves.  Serve gumbo in a deep bowl with a small amount (1/2 to 1 cup) of cooked rice.

I must say… it did turn out better than I thought it would (especially for my first try).  Gumbo might become something I make more often.  Enjoy!