Gumbo gumbo gumbo!!

Apparently, today is national gumbo day. (I made this on the 12th) And therefore I have an excuse to make a big vat o' gumbo. Not that I need one, but what the hell. I've been working on this recipe for years, trying to get it just right. I think it's pretty awesome at this point, but I'm sure it will change again.

Screw the ingredient list, since I'm writing this as I go along. I can never remember exactly what goes in when until I cook it.

This seems like a really tough dish to make, but it's not. The roux is the only tough part, and that just takes patience. It just has a lot of steps, but it is SO worth it.

1: The chicken and broth part: Take one whole cut up fryer chicken. The one from today is about 4 pounds. Throw that in a big soup pot with about 1 tbs thyme and a few bay leaves. Cover it with water (I'm guessing about a gallon and a half went in - there is no measuring in my gumbo, with one exception) and bring it to a boil. Add in a very large pinch of salt and let this simmer for at least an hour. Once it's gone on long enough, dump the bay leaves, pull out the chicken and take the broth off the heat. UPDATE: Don't skip this very important step!! When the chicken starts simmering, some nasty white gunk will rise up as it cooks. Skim it off, you do NOT want to eat that.

2. The sausage part: I have used everything from kielbasa to hot links in this. Today I'm using two andouille sausages and one linguica. These are HUGE sausages, that's why only three are going in. I got them fresh and raw, so I threw them in the oven for about 45 minutes to cook before I messed with them. Once I cooked them and cooled slightly, I sliced them in half lengthwise then into small pieces. Fry those up and put them to the side.

3. The magical roux: This is the exception to the measuring part. If this goes bad, you're fucked and have to start over. 3/4 cup of flour, 3/4 cup of vegetable oil. This is still iffy. The consistency reminds me of slightly runny frosting, so add more of one if it doesn't seem right. Cook this over medium heat, whisking constantly. I've had bad burnt roux experiences, so I cook mine really slowly and probably not quite long enough. It usually takes about half an hour. It is supposed to be a dark brown, but NOT burnt. If it burns, start over.

4. The trinity: This is the basis of most cajun dishes. Equal parts small diced onions, bell pepper and celery. I used 1 yellow onion, 1 medium bell peppers and 3 big stalks of celery. Once the roux gets dark enough, throw this in and keep stirring for about five minutes.

5. The combination: Add the roux and veggies to the broth. I take the broth off the heat because putting hot roux in hot broth is a terrifying experience. It snarls up and can boil over. Once well mixed, let these guys cook together for about half an hour.

6. The rest: Add in the chopped up sausages, a good amount of white and red pepper. Pull the decent chicken off the bone - ie. legs, breasts, thighs - and add that to the pot. Let this get happy for a bit.

7. The finale: Throw in 1/2 lb of shrimp and cook for a few more minutes. Right when you're ready to serve and pull the pot off the heat, stir in some file powder.

8. The grub: This is traditionally served over rice, but I eat mine like a stew. Throw in a good amount of Louisiana style hot sauce and you've got gumbo nirvana.