Whenever my husband would visit New Orleans on business he would eat gumbo on a daily basis.  He was quite enamored with the dish.  I had never tried to make it before.  He helped, especially with the roux making (a little tricky).  I took 3 recipes and gave it the ole’ college try and it was a hit – even with our neighbors.  A great dish for the playoffs and Super Bowl, not to mention, just a damn cold New England winter’s dinner!  Once you have made Emeril’s seasoning, you only need one tablespoon so put it in air tight container in your refrigerator and it will last for 4-6 months.  You can also just buy prepared  Creole seasoning.  Happy heat!

New Orleans Style Gumbo

 1 T vegetable oil

1 lb. smoked sausage sliced in ¼ inch slices on an angle

4 lb. chicken thighs with skin removed

1 T Emeril’s Essence Creole Seasoning (recipe follows)

¼ C of vegetable oil and 4 T butter

½ C flour

2 C chopped onions

1 ½ C chopped celery

1 green pepper chopped

6 cloves garlic minced

2 bay leaves

¼ to ½ tsp cayenne pepper to taste

8 C chicken stock

½ C sherry

2 C frozen okra

4 scallions chopped

½ lb. of small shrimp or larger shrimp deveined and cut into bite size pieces

½ C chopped parsley

2 C long-grained white rice

Emeril’s Creole Seasoning:

2 ½ T paprika

2 T salt

1 T black pepper

1 T onion powder

2 T garlic powder

1 T cayenne pepper

1 T dried oregano

1 T dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly

Rub Emeril’s Essence all over the chicken thighs.  Let sit while you slice the sausage.  Cook the sausage with 1 T of oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven until well browned – about 8 minutes.  Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Add the chicken to the Dutch oven and cook on medium-high 4 minutes on each side until well browned.  Remove and let cool on the counter and then in the refrigerator.

Now for the roux.  I like to use a separate saucepan for this.  Melt the butter, add the oil and then whisk in the flour a little at a time.  Heat over medium heat stirring slowly and constantly for 20-25 minutes until it reaches the color of peanut butter.  Be careful not to cook beyond this point.  It is great to have someone helping with this while you deal with the veggies.

Heat up the Dutch oven again and add a little oil or butter.  Cook the celery, onions, and pepper for 4-7 minutes, finally adding in the minced garlic at the end.

Add the bay leaves, put the sausage back in and the cayenne.  (Caution: the warmth of the dish will be determined by the amount of cayenne!  Go light if you are not sure – you can always add near the end.)

Slowly stir in the chicken stock and sherry and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally for 45 min. to 1 hour.

Break the chicken away from the bones into bite-size pieces.  Put the chicken and okra into the gumbo mixture.  Simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Cook the rice sometime in this time frame.  Follow package directions, but I like to use mostly chicken broth for the liquid. Add in the scallions and the parsley.  Toss in the shrimp about 5 minutes before serving.