Gotta love gumbo!

     Well, it has been a very busy week! My youngest son has been sick for the whole week. Praise the Lord, he is starting to feel better! My family loves gumbo, and I have to admit that I love it to. I watched Emeril Lagasse make this one day and thought how easy it looked. Of course I had to change the recipe some, but I almost always do that's just how I am. My picture did not turn out too well, but the gumbo did! This is very good and very easy. I love recipes that are easy. I hope that you love it as much as we do.



Gumbo

Ingredients:

1 cup olive oil
1 cup flour
1 chicken (sometimes I add a couple of bone-in chicken breasts, it depends on how many people I am feeding), free-range is best
2 chopped medium sweet onions
4 chopped green bell peppers
1 1/2 chopped celery hearts
24 oz. andouille sausage, 1/2 chopped and 1/2 sliced thinly on the bias
salt and pepper to taste
4 to 5 quart water
Cooked brown rice, for serving (I like brown jasmine myself)

Directions:

In a large, heavy pot place the chicken, water, and 1 teaspoon salt in the pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, partially covered, until the chicken is tender, about 2 hours. Remove the chicken and set aside. Strain and reserve the broth.

In a large, heavy pot or a Dutch oven over medium heat, combine the oil and flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is a dark, chocolate brown color, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the chopped onions, bell peppers, celery and sausage. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are very soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the reserved chicken broth and stir until the roux mixture and broth are well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1/2 hour to 45 min.

Meanwhile, remove the skin from the hen and pick the meat off the bones, discarding the skin and bones. Coarsely chop or tear the meat into bite size pieces. Add the chicken to the gumbo. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve the gumbo in individual soup or gumbo bowls over hot, cooked brown rice.

Enjoy!