This is my grandmother's recipe.... I also have River Road I and II they are good but if you like Cajun food.... the best Cajun cook book I've ever had was put together by Cajun home cooks from Lafayette...it's called "Talk About Good". It was put together by the Junior Commerce of Lafayette about 25 or 30 years ago and it was such a hit they have kept selling it. If you Google "Talk About Good" you will get a lot of info. I was also born in New Orleans but I haven't been back since Katrina. We live in Texas now and we really like it here so we won't be going back but I still love the food.
Grandmas Chicken Gumbo
Make a dark roux with 2 cups of flour and about 1 cup of oil.
(You can buy ready made roux but homemade is the best, if you want to make you own but don't know how...Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the oil and flour into a 5 to 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven and whisk together to combine. Place on the middle shelf of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 1 1/2 hours, whisking 2 to 3 times throughout the cooking process.)
1 gallon of water
1 large hen (an old hen makes the best gumbo)
6 chicken bullion cubes
1 pound of good smoked sausage (Cut into bite size pieces)
1 large onion (Chopped)
1 bell pepper (Chopped)
2 stalks celery (Chopped)
3 tablespoons liquid smoke (leave this out if using smoked meat)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1 bunch green onions (chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut the chicken in half and place it in a large stockpot with the water and the rest of the ingredients. Simmer uncovered for a couple of hours, or until chicken is tender, remove the chicken from the pot place it in a bowl and put it in the refrigerator to cool. Turn the fire off under the pot, allow to sit while chicken is cooling, all the fat will rise to the top.
With a large spoon skim fat off the top of the gumbo.
Pick the chicken off the bone and add it back to the pot and heat it through; season with salt and pepper to taste.
You can substitute just about anything for the chicken. Guinea foul and wild game works very well, squirrels, ducks, geese, rabbits, turkey, quail, pheasant, ect. Just make sure to simmer it long enough to get it tender.
Serve over rice in soup bowls.
Grandmas Chicken Gumbo
Make a dark roux with 2 cups of flour and about 1 cup of oil.
(You can buy ready made roux but homemade is the best, if you want to make you own but don't know how...Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the oil and flour into a 5 to 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven and whisk together to combine. Place on the middle shelf of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 1 1/2 hours, whisking 2 to 3 times throughout the cooking process.)
1 gallon of water
1 large hen (an old hen makes the best gumbo)
6 chicken bullion cubes
1 pound of good smoked sausage (Cut into bite size pieces)
1 large onion (Chopped)
1 bell pepper (Chopped)
2 stalks celery (Chopped)
3 tablespoons liquid smoke (leave this out if using smoked meat)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1 bunch green onions (chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut the chicken in half and place it in a large stockpot with the water and the rest of the ingredients. Simmer uncovered for a couple of hours, or until chicken is tender, remove the chicken from the pot place it in a bowl and put it in the refrigerator to cool. Turn the fire off under the pot, allow to sit while chicken is cooling, all the fat will rise to the top.
With a large spoon skim fat off the top of the gumbo.
Pick the chicken off the bone and add it back to the pot and heat it through; season with salt and pepper to taste.
You can substitute just about anything for the chicken. Guinea foul and wild game works very well, squirrels, ducks, geese, rabbits, turkey, quail, pheasant, ect. Just make sure to simmer it long enough to get it tender.
Serve over rice in soup bowls.
