Ragin' Cajun Delight!

Seli and I invited some friends over for dinner last weekend, and because it was cold and rainy outside I thought it was a perfect opportunity to make one of my favorite Patin-family recipes: gumbo! I realize the picture isn't all that appetizing, but believe me it was delicious!! In case you're feeling adventurous, Alee's recipe is below. It's really not that difficult, it just takes time and lots of ingredients. :)

Ingredients
3-4 lbs of chicken (preferred is leg and thigh)
1 lb smoked pork sausage (I prefer turkey sausage)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup flour
1 large onion, minced
1/2 cup celery, minced
1/4 cup green pepper, minced
1/2 cup green onion, minced
1/2 cup parsley, minced2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tbl Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Tabasco
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
8 tsp red pepper
1 bay leaf
3 qrts hot water
2 tbl file (optional)

Clean chicken, and season well with salt and pepper (and cayenne pepper if you want). Heat oil in large skillet. Add chicken and brown evenly. Remove and set aside.

Make roux by adding flour to hot oil, stirring constantly over medium heat until brown. Add onion to roux and cook until tender. Transfer roux to dutch oven or large cooking vessel. Add chicken, celery, green pepper, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir until vegetables are soft; add water. Simmer 1 hour.

Add sausage. Remove bay leaf and simmer 1 more hour. Skim off excess fat; then add green onion and parsley. Simmer 10 minutes. If desired, add file' just before serving. Also, you will want to remove all of the chicken bones. By this point, the meat should easily fall right off the bones. Then pour over steamed rice.

Serves 10-12.

(Wild game such as ducks, doves, quail, squirrel, or rabbit may be substituted for chicken. One pint of oysters may be added before cooking the last 10 minutes.)