Prejean’s Famous Gumbo

Prejean’s Famous Gumbo


2 ½ tbsp butter
2 ½ tbsp flour
2 tbsp corn oil
6 oz andouille sausage, sliced into ¼ inch thick circles
1/3 cup coarsely diced onion
¼ cup coarsely diced bell pepper
2 tbsp finely diced celery
4 chicken thighs, skin removed (or 2 large skinless duck breasts)
1 tbsp paprika
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 small bay leaf
1 ¼ quarts concentrated chicken stock (you can start with 1 ¾ quarts and boil it down to 1 ¼ quarts to make it concentrated, or add a bouillon cube)
1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet (or worchestershire sauce)
2 dashes Tabasco
1 ½ tbsp sliced green onion tops

In a small skillet over medium low heat, add the butter and flour. Stir constantly and thoroughly as color slowly depends in color and reaches a dark, reddish brown. This process should take at the very least 20 minutes (mine took 40 minutes). Remove from heat and pour into a container. Set aside. The color will continue to deepen to a dark, chocolate brown. (Tidbit: You can make larger portions and freeze what you don’t need as a short cut for your next gumbo.)

Heat corn oil to hot and maintain heat in a four-quart cast-iron or other heavy pot over medium-low heat.
Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, brown andouille sausage, then add to oil in the cast-iron pot. Repeat process with onion, bell pepper and celery, then chicken (or duck), sautéing each ingredient individually and transferring each ingredient to the cast-iron pot as it is browned.

Add the paprika, black pepper, cayenne and bay leaf to the pot and stir. Mix in stock. Stir in roux until blended.
Bring to a boil and cook 40 minutes, stirring attentively.
Add Kitchen Bouquet (or worchestershire sauce), Tabasco and green onions and stir well. Simmer 5 minutes longer.

Pull out chicken (or duck) and with tongs and a fork (the meat will be too hot to handle with your fingers), shred the meat and add it back to the gumbo and mix.
Serve hot alone or with white rice.