R E C I P E S

Cajun Chicken, Sausage, and Oyster Gumbo

By Edward Behr

The depth of flavor in slowly cooked Cajun dishes comes partly from a Cajun brown roux, which is cooked very dark, almost burnt, so that most of the flour’s thickening power has been fried out of it. The roux gives a little body, but mainly it gives a mysteriously delicious, muddy richness, which is one of the things that sets this gumbo apart from anything found in France. Cajun gumbos are essentially soups, although some people like theirs thicker than others; two more characteristics of gumbos are that the central ingredients tend to come in large pieces, and that they are served with at least a little rice. It used to be that the meat or fish used was determined by whatever was readily available at that season or moment, including game. If you omit the sausage and oysters below, you have a plain chicken gumbo. Filé, the powdered leaves of sassafras originally used by the Choctaw Indians, is itself a powerful thickener. Add it only after the cooking is done: if it boils, it becomes stringy and unpleasant. And if you use filé, be certain it’s fresh — green in color and spicy in aroma. Cajuns often mix English into their French and call gumbo by an English name; in French this would be gombo de poule aux huîtres et aux saucisses boucanés.

 

¾ cup (175 ml) lard or good cooking oil plus more for browning the chicken

1 cup (135 gr) all-purpose flour

one 4- to 5-pound (2-kg) chicken

2 large onions, chopped

4 quarts (4 liters) cold water

1 pound (450 gr) Cajun andouille or other spicy smoked sausage, cut in ¼ -inch (6-mm) slices

¼ teaspoon ground red pepper

½ cup (25 gr) finely chopped parsley

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

green onion tops, cut crosswise in 3/8-inch (1-cm) slices (1 cup or 90 gr in all)

2 or 3 cloves garlic, chopped, optional

3 dozen oysters, shucked, with their juices

salt

filé powder, optional

cooked long-grain rice, to serve

 

To make the roux, combine the lard or oil and the flour in a large, heavy pot and cook slowly over low to medium heat, stirring from time to time and adjusting the heat to avoid burning — if the roux does burn, start again. Cook it to a deep brown, roughly 45 minutes, stirring almost continuously toward the end. Remove the roux from the pot and set aside; you will have about 1 cup (250 ml).

Cut the chicken into 8 pieces: 4 sections of breast roughly equal in size (including the wings attached to 2 of them) plus 2 thighs and 2 drumsticks. Brown the chicken pieces well in fat and remove them from the pot. Add the roux and onions to the pot and stir over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the water all at once and bring it to a simmer, stirring from time to time to dissolve the roux. Add the browned chicken, andouille, and red pepper; simmer slowly for 1 hour, stirring from time to time. Carefully skim the fat from the surface. Add the parsley, bell pepper, green onions, and garlic, and simmer for another ½ hour. Carefully skim the fat again.

Add the oysters and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste for salt and thin with water if necessary. Optionally, add filé to taste just before serving — don’t cook the gumbo after that — or let each person add filé at the table. Put some rice in each bowl and ladle the gumbo over it. Serves 8.

From The Art of Eating Cookbook