Gumbo

While there are many Gumbos the best is found in a small area of South Louisiana centered around Lafayette. Most folks think of Gumbo as the thick okra and tomato base soup found in New Orleans and Creole kitchens. Cajun Gumbo is totally different, a very simple, thin soup but with big flavor.

It is a shame most folks have never experienced a good Cajun Gumbo. This time of year chicken and sausage gumbo would come out to play. While I like seafood gumbo my favorite is chicken and sausage. Of course what led to this post is I made a pot of chicken and sausage gumbo for dinner. Cajun gumbo is nothing more than a stock of whatever meat you are using and green peppers, onions, garlic, and celery. After the vegetables have rendered separate them from the stock, add the cooked chicken (I use thighs) and Andouille sausage followed by the roux. Serve over rice with a cold beer on the side, it's close to heaven.

The roux is the secret. Butter or bacon fat and flour mixed and cooked to roux negro if you are brave and confident, dark red is reasonably safe and is almost as good. The difference between dark red, black, and burned and ruined is seconds. Either dark red or black will leave a thin soup with intense flavor. Of course stopping the roux at dark red is wimping out, real men go for black.

It has been a few years but Don's in downtown Lafayette, LA had as good a bowl of seafood gumbo as you could find anywhere. If you are ever close it is worth a stop. The Riverside Inn this time of year had wonderful chicken and sausage gumbo.

ken