It is a Gumbo kind of day outside, cold, overcast, drizzling and blah. Days like this call for a little warming up with something like chicken potpie or a bowl of soup. It is a Saturday, and I just happen to have a bit of extra time on my hands to make one of my family’s favorites, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. I first learned the magic of Gumbo when I lived in New Orleans as a young bride. I worked at a beautiful restaurant called Tavern on the Park across from the famous Dueling Oaks in City Park. I managed the dining room, and it was a very romantic time in my life. It was during this time that Cajun cooking was hot on the food scene, Chef’s like Paul Prudhomme had opened his restaurant K-Pauls, and a young Chef Emeril Lagasse was in the kitchen at Commanders Palace. There is a famous local cookbook called, “Who’s Your Mama, Are you Catholic, and Can You Make a Roux” by Marcelle Bienvenu from the Times-Picayune. My Mama was not from New Orleans, I am not Catholic, and at that time, I could not make a roux.
If you know anything about working in the restaurant industry then you know there is a bit of a division between what we call “the front of the house and the back of the house (the kitchen).” I was able to observe, and I picked up a great many tips, but I wasn’t going to learn how to cook at work. But, my Mother-In-Law at the time worked for “The New Orleans School of Cooking” as a bookkeeper. I took a class and learned how to make Gumbo with a lovingly prepared dark roux. I still make my roux the old-fashioned way with either oil or lard and flour in my iron skillet. It can take almost thirty minutes of stirring and watching the mixture warm itself into the shades of cream, caramel, cafe ole, chocolate and finally coffee. I add the roux to my Trinity (onion, bell pepper, and celery), add the sausage, add the chicken stock, season and simmer. After it has cooked down and I’ve skimmed the fat from the top of the gumbo several times I add the chicken. I garnish it with a sprinkle of green onion. I like to keep it relatively mild and allow the diner to add their preferred pepper sauce; Tabasco, Crystal, Louisianna Hot Sauce, Tiger Sauce, or File. The Gumbo can be served with or without white rice. Have a nice crusty baguette ready for dipping into the bowl.
The New Orleans School of Cooking is still in operation today under a different owner. I haven’t been back to the school since my early years there but my girlfriends recently attended a class and they had a topnotch experience. If you don’t know how to make a roux, then watch the New Orleans School of Cooking video on YouTube and give Gumbo a try. You don’t need to wait for blah weather; Gumbo is a treat all year round. You just need a smidgen of extra time, and some elbow grease for stirring your roux and your family will feel the love in every bite.
