Chicken Gumbo - Filé Gumbo

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I had a small, surprising triumph tonight. Before going any further, I want to extend an apology to any of my Southern friends who might find my victory lap or bow a bit premature. I stepped into their territory, if not their kitchens, and made gumbo tonight. Despite my years in the kitchen, this was a first for me. I love gumbo, but I found the making of roux off-putting. Armed with great directions, which you can find here, I decided to give it a try and I think I did alright. I made minor alterations to a recipe developed by Emeril Lagasse and was really pleased with the results. My only caution is that you need time to make this. It really is not difficult to prepare, but it needs watching and some of its elements take longer to cook than the recipe would have you believe. Most significantly, it took an hour, rather than 20 minutes, for my roux to become the color of chocolate. The trick is to get it to that chocolate color without burning the roux. If it burns you'll have to toss it. Despite that, I highly recommend this gumbo and hope you will try it. Here's the recipe.


Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo with White Rice...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 pound smoked andouille sausage, cut crosswise 1/2-inch thick pieces
4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell peppers
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 bay leaves
9 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 tablespoon filé powder (ground sassafras leaves)- see Cook's Note
.
Cooked white rice
Hot sauce

Directions:
1) Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy pot set over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until brown, about 8 minutes. Remove sausage from pan and drain on paper toweling. Set aside.
2) Season chicken with Creole seasoning. Brown, in batches, using pot in which sausage was cooked. Remove from pan. Let cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
3) Add flour and reserved 1/2 cup oil to pan in which chicken and sausage browned. Cook, stirring slowly, for 20 to 25 minutes to make a chocolate colored roux. I had to cook mine for an hour to achieve this color.
4) Add onions, celery, and bell peppers and cook, stirring, until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. Add reserved sausage, salt, cayenne, and bay leaves, stir, and cook for 2 minutes. Stirring, slowly, add chicken stock, and cook, stirring, until well combined. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
5) Add reserved chicken to the pot and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, skimming off any fat that rises to surface.
6) Remove pot from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken thighs from the gumbo and place on a cutting board to cool slightly. Remove and discard bay leaves. Pull chicken meat from bones and shred, discarding bones. Return meat to gumbo and stir in the green onions, parsley, and filé powder.
7) Spoon rice into bottom of deep bowls or large cups and ladle gumbo on top. Serve with hot sauce if desired. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Cook's Note: File powder has a very earthy flavor that tastes like a combination of thyme and savory. It can be found in the spice aisle of large food chains. The powder comes from grinding dried sassafras leaves. If you would like to make your own filé powder, instructions can be found here. Filé powder is added at the end of cooking to thicken the gumbo. To add it sooner can cause the gumbo to become stringy. It can also be passed and added at the table.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo - The Bake-Off Flunkie
Chicken Gumbo - Louanne's Kitchen
Quick and Easy Sausage and Okra Gumbo - Sing for Your Supper
Shrimp and Okra Gumbo - Felice in the Kitchen
Pancetta and Shrimp Gumbo - Chow and Chatter
Cajun Gumbo Soup - The Teacher Cooks

Calas - Sweet Rice Fritters

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm stepping back in time today to explore 19th century New Orleans. My destination is the French Quarter. I'm searching for the donut-like fritters associated with this time and place. The sights and sounds and smells of the old city can overwhelm the uninitiated, but through the din, the imaginative who listen, really listen, will hear Creole slaves hawking calas, the sweet rice fritters whose sale will help buy their freedom. The women shout, "Belles calas, toutes chaudes!" or "Calas, nice and hot!" The cala came to New Orleans via West Africa, but unlike it's cousin, the beignet, its fame traveled no farther than this city and it was rarely found elsewhere in the South. Calas can be leavened with wild yeasts, commercial yeast or baking powder. I chose to use baking powder because I had no idea what the completed fritters would taste like and I didn't want to spend hours waiting to find out. So, an experiment borne of curiosity began. Francis Lam had written about Calas for the pages of Salon and I decided to use his recipe. It was fast, simple and straight forward. I've learned that it also produces marvelous sweet rice fritters. I thought those of you with left over rice and adventurous spirits might like to have a go at these. They are delightfully different and delicious. Here's the recipe for a wonderful curiosity that comes with a history all its own.

Calas - Sweet Rice Fritters...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, adapted from original recipe by Francis Lam for the Salon Media Group

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked, very cold rice
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash nutmeg
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Vegetable oil
Confectioners' sugar

Directions:
1) Fill a high-sided pan with oil to a depth of 2-inches. Warm to 360 degrees F.
2) Place very cold rice in a large mixing bowl. Use fingers to break-up lumps and form separate grains. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg to rice; mix well to coat each grain with dry mixture.
3) Add vanilla to beaten eggs and pour over rice. Mix until there are no dry spots in batter.
4) Form batter into ovals or quenelles, using 2 tableside serving spoons. Working in batches, push batter into oil and cook, turning just once, until puffed and golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Dust generously with confectioners' sugar. Serve hot. Yield: 12 fritters.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Yeasted Appple Fritters - One Perfect Bite
Open Mouths Laughing - One Perfect Bite
French Quarter Beignets - One Perfect Bite