CHICKEN AND ANDOUILLE GUMBO WITH POTATO SALAD
Chicken:
1(3 pound) whole chicken
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 cups chopped celery
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
Gumbo:
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup flour
1 large onion, diced
1 large bell pepper, diced
3 large stalks celery, diced
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound andouille sausage, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into quarter-inch pieces
2 quarts chicken stock, (reserved from cooking chicken)
1 generous tablespoon Creole seasoning
1 bunch (6 to 8) green onions, sliced
½ cup minced parsley
For chicken, rinse bird and place in a 10-quart stockpot with water to cover. Bring to a boil. Add onion, celery, carrots, salt and pepper. Once pot comes back to a boil, reduce heat to very low and simmer gently until chicken is just cooked, about one hour. Turn heat off and let chicken and vegetables sit until cool enough to handle and chicken is very tender. Carefully remove from the pot and place in a large bowl. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin and pull off chicken meat and place it in a separate bowl. Discard skin and the bones. Strain stock through a colander into another stockpot. Discard solids.
For gumbo, make a roux by heating oil over moderately low heat in a heavy 7- to 9-quart Dutch oven. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly and adjusting heat to your comfort level, until flour turns to a medium-brown color being careful not to burn roux. This can take from 20 to 30 minutes, whisking constantly. When desired color is achieved, add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic and continue to cook over moderately low heat, stirring often, until vegetables begin to soften. Then stir in sausage and continue to cook, stirring often, until vegetables are soft. Add hot stock, slowly at first, to incorporate completely. Stir in Creole seasoning. Bring pot up to a boil, then reduce the heat, partially cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add chicken meat and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Add small amounts of stock if necessary. Add green onions and parsley and continue simmering for 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and correct seasonings, adding more Creole seasoning, salt and pepper. Serve with potato salad and French bread.
POTATO SALAD
This particular recipe is from What Can I Bring, by Elizabeth Heiskell, and is particularly good with gumbo!
2½ pounds new potatoes
1½ cups finely chopped celery
1 cup chopped scallions
½ cup good quality mayonnaise (such as Hellman’s)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Place potatoes in a large saucepan; add cold, slated water to cover, Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender but not split or mushy, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and cool completely, about 30 minutes. Cut potatoes into bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, combine celery, scallions, mayonnaise, dill, salt, and pepper; add potatoes and toss gently to coat.
Yield: 10-12 servings
CRAWFISH ÉTOUFFÉE WITH SMASHED CRAWFISH BABY REDS
¾ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup chopped onions
¼ cup chopped celery
¼ cup chopped red or green bell peppers
4 tablespoons creole seasoning mix
3 cups seafood stock
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 pounds peeled crawfish tails
1 cup finely chopped scallions
In a large, heavy skillet (preferably cast iron), heat oil over high heat until it begins to smoke, about 4 minutes. Using a long-handled whisk, gradually whisk in flour, stirring until smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until roux is dark red-brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately stir in vegetables and 2 tablespoons of seasoning mix with a wooden spoon until mixture has cooled, about 5 minutes. In a 2-quart saucepan over high heat, bring 2 cups of seafood stock to a boil. Gradually add roux and whisk until thoroughly dissolved. Reduce heat to low, continuing to whisk constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. In a separate saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 stick of butter. Stir in crawfish tails and green onions and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add additional stick of butter, roux mixture, and remaining 1 cup of stock, shaking pan back and forth until butter is melted. Remove from heat and add remaining seasoning mix. Serve immediately with Crawfish Baby Reds.
Yield: 8 servings
CRAWFISH BABY REDS
15 to 20 baby red potatoes
2 tablespoons creole seasoning
½ stick butter
½ cup cream
1 cup peeled and cooked crawfish tails
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
In a pot over medium heat, place potatoes and cover with water. Bring to a boil and add creole seasoning. Cook the potatoes for 7 to 10 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain and place in mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat in butter and cream. Do not over-mix. Gently stir in crawfish tails and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Yield: 8 servings
CAJUN SEAFOOD GUMBO WITH BLACKENED POTATO SALAD
¾ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
5 cups seafood stock
2 cups chopped okra
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
1 pound lump crabmeat
1 pint fresh oysters, undrained
½ cup chopped green onions
½ cup chopped parsley
Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over high heat until it begins to smoke, about 5 minutes. Gradually add flour, whisking constantly. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until roux is dark, red-brown, about 2 to 4 minutes, being careful not to let it scorch. Reduce heat if it is browning too quickly. Immediately add half of chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add remaining vegetables and cook for another couple of minutes. Stir in creole seasoning and continue cooking, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes more, then remove from heat. In a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed stock, pot bring stock to a boil over high heat. Add roux mixture by spoonfuls to boiling stock until dissolved between each addition, stirring constantly. Add okra and cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and add shrimp, crabmeat, and oysters. Add green onions and fresh parsley and stir to mix in. Remove gumbo from heat and serve hot with Blackened Potato Salad.
Yield: 10 servings
BLACKENED POTATO SALAD
This potato salad is perfect with gumbo! Remember to have good ventilation as blackening creates a good deal of smoke.
¼ cup kosher salt
5 pounds red potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
2 to 3 tablespoons Paul Prudhomme Blackened Seafood Seasoning Blend
½ cup stone-ground cornmeal
2 tablespoons peanut oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup plain yogurt
½ cup chopped green onion
Fill an 8-quart stockpot with water and add salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook potatoesuntil fork-tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and cool completely. Mix seasoning blend with the cornmeal in a large bowl. Toss potatoes with cornmeal mixture until coated evenly. Transfer to a colander and shake off any excess spice mixture.
Turn stove vent to high. Pour 1 teaspoon of oil into a large, cast-iron skillet over high heat and tilt pan to coat the bottom thinly and evenly. When oil begins to smoke, add half of potatoes and cook, shaking pan frequently, about 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons butter and cook for 4 minutes more, continuing to shake pan until the potatoes are blackened. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl. With a metal spatula, scrape up any bits of char and blackened spice clinging to pan and discard. Add remaining oil and coat bottom of pan evenly. Add remaining potatoes and butter, and repeat process, adding potatoes to first batch. Toss with the mayonnaise, yogurt, and chopped green onions until evenly coated. Serve with gumbo.
Yield: 8-10 servings.
DUCK GUMBO WITH CREAMY POTATO AND BACON SALAD
3 to 4 ducks, cleaned
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup flour
1 bunch green onions, chopped (reserve 1 cup for garnish)
2 onions, chopped
½ cup chopped celery
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped (reserve ½ cup for garnish)
6 quarts chicken stock
2 cups chopped okra
2 teaspoons gumbo file powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste
Pat duck dry with paper towels and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat and add duck. Brown meat on all sides and transfer to a platter. Immediately add oil to skillet and increase heat to high. When oil has almost reached smoking point, gradually add flour and whisk constantly to make a smooth paste. Continue to whisk roux until mixture has turned dark brown, being careful to not let mixture burn, lowering heat if necessary. Add chopped onions, celery, and parsley, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until vegetables are tender. Bring chicken stock to a boil and add roux by spoonfuls, stirring well after each addition. Lower heat to medium and add duck. Cover pot and simmer for 1 hour or more, stirring occasionally until meat tender, falling off bone. Remove to a platter and remove skin and bones. Add chopped okra, file powder, and duck meat back to pan. Check seasonings adding more salt and pepper if needed. Simmer for an additional half hour and season gumbo with hot sauce as desired. Serve hot alongside Creamy Potato and Bacon Salad.
Yield: 6-8 servings
CREAMY POTATO AND BACON SALAD
2 pounds russet potatoes
½ cup chopped onion
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
½ tablespoon chopped parsley
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon spicy Creole style mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup bacon, cooked, drained, and chopped
Peel and cut potatoes to a small dice. Boil until tender and crumbly in salted water, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. Place potatoes in a large bowl and partially mash with a fork, leaving some chunks. Add onion, celery, green onion, and parsley to potatoes and toss together. In a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper. Spoon over potatoes, tossing to coat. Add chopped bacon and toss again adjusting seasonings with salt and pepper as desired.
Yield: 6-8 servings
Deep South Dish
