Mike Basford’s Chicken and Andouille Gumbo - Judges' Choice

Ingredients

2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts 1 lb Andouille Sausage 2 T + ¾ cup Canola Oil ¾ cup Flour 2 large Bell Peppers (1 red and 1 green) 1 large Onion 3 stalks Celery 2 fresh Cayenne Peppers (or other fresh chile peppers) 3 cloves Garlic 2-3 quarts Homemade Smoked Pork Stock (or chicken stock)

1 T Allspice 1 tsp Cloves 3 Bayleaves 1 sprig fresh Thyme Hot Sauce 1 cup fresh Basil 1 cup fresh Parsley 4-8 Scallions, white and light green parts Salt and Pepper Tie up allspice, cloves, bay leaves and thyme in cheesecloth.

Directions

1. Slice up sausage and dice up chicken. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Set burner to medium-high heat. Heat 2 tblsp oil in soup pot until near smoking.
3. Fry chicken in oil and remove to a bowl – draining as much oil as possible. Cover chicken with foil.
4. Fry sausage in oil and remove to a bowl – draining as much oil as possible. Cover sausage with foil. Turn off heat.
5. Finely dice bell peppers, onion, celery, and cayennes.
6. Press, grate or finely chop garlic and set aside.
7. Turn heat on to medium-high. Add remaining ¾ cup oil to pot and heat.
8. Add flour to oil and mix. Add juices from chicken and sausage and continue stirring roux, scraping browned bits from pot into roux, until roux becomes dark brown (like a penny) – about 5-10 minutes.
9. Add vegetables to roux and mix, constantly stirring, for three minutes until vegetables are starting to cook.
10. Add garlic and continue to stir until vegetables are soft. Return meat to pot and mix with vegetables for two minutes.
11. Add the first two quarts of stock to the pot, one cup at a time. After two quarts are added, the gumbo should have an even, but not thick consistency. If the gumbo is too thick, add an extra cup at a time to thin the gumbo.
12. Add the tied-up spices to the gumbo. Add salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste.
13. Turn heat to low and cover gumbo and cook for 1-1.5 hours – stirring every 15 minutes.
14. Finely chop basil and parsley and slice up scallions. Stir into gumbo and cook 3-5 minutes.
15. Turn off heat and add salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste. Serve over cooked rice.