First of all, I apologize for the LONG absence. I am still in the process of getting the site put up. I just love how busy summer time is. 
Now back to the recipe. I love me some Gumbo. As a kid, I would look at the stuff and gag. As an adult, I look at it and drool. I just can’t get enough of it! This recipe I saw Emeril make on his show Emeril Green. It is fairly easy but it is time consuming. I promise you this though, this dish is well worth the time and effort. If you are having guests for dinner and you want to impress them. This is the dish to make.
Here is the direct link if you would like to download a printable version.
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/emerils-gumbo.html
Emeril’s Gumbo Ya-ya
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients:
1 large chicken or roasting hen (about 6 pounds)
8 cups water
2 medium-size yellow onions, quartered
3 ribs celery, each cut into 6 pieces
5 bay leaves
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne
1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
1 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons or about 3 cloves chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 pound chopped andouille or other smoked sausage
2 tablespoons chopped green onions or scallions (green part only)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Hot cooked white rice, for serving
Method:
Put the hen, water, quartered onions, celery pieces, 3 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon of the salt, and 1 teaspoon of the cayenne in a large, heavy pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and cook, partially covered, until the hen is tender, about 1 hour. Remove the hen, strain and reserve the broth.
In a large, heavy pot or a Dutch oven over medium heat, combine the oil and flour. Stirring slowly and constantly, cook until a dark roux is formed, (it should be the color of dark chocolate), 20 to 25 minutes. Add the chopped onions, bell peppers, chopped celery and chopped garlic. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are very soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and remaining cayenne and continue to stir. Add the reserved broth and stir until the roux mixture and broth are well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick and flavorful, usually 1 1/2 hours. More water may be added if the sauce gets too thick.
Meanwhile, remove the skin from the hen and pick the meat off the bones, discarding the skin and bones. Coarsely chop the chicken meat. Add the chicken and the sausage to the gumbo. Cook for 15 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes before skimming off the fat that has risen to the surface.
Serve the gumbo in individual soup or gumbo bowls over hot white rice and garnish with green onions and parsley.
Red Beans & Rice
1 can red beans
Chicken broth
1 cup long grain rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Drain beans and reserve the juice. Add enough chicken broth to reserved juice to make 2 1/2 cups. Combine all ingredients in a large skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let rice sit covered for 5 minutes. Then eat as much as you can before everyone else digs into it. 
1 Comment
August 28, 2008 at 2:39 am
[...] greens, okra, fried green tomatoes, black-eyed peas, buttermilk biscuits, rice, butter beans, gumbo and fried chicken on the menu as [...]