A Day In The Life Of A Cat

Shrove Tuesday!

You might call it Mardi Gras, Carnival, Carnaval, or Shrovetide, but the occasion is the same: a chance to have an all-out, rollicking celebration. Traditionally, Mardi Gras is the festival that takes place in the days or weeks leading up to Lent, and it's everyone's last chance to eat, drink and be merry before moderate living becomes the rule of the day. So come on and get in the party mood, and as they say in New Orleans, 'Laissez les bons temps rouler,' or 'Let the good times roll!'

Filé Gumbo!

As varied as the recipes can be, there are a few ingredients that give the dish its identity as gumbo. Apart from good homemade stock , the first is the "holy trinity" used extensively in both Cajun and Creole cooking: celery, onions and green bell peppers. Almost all gumbos also use two distinctive ingredients to thicken and flavor them. The first is roux : a mixture of equal parts flour and fat cooked together gently. The fat in the roux can be butter or oil. Roux can range in color from white to brown to black, depending on how long it's cooked. The darker the color of the roux, the deeper the flavor. Cajun gumbos tend to use very dark roux, usually made with oil or pork fat, whereas Creole gumbos might favor the more delicate flavor of a light roux made with butter.

The second thickener in a pot of gumbo can be either okra or filé ("FEE-lay") powder. Interestingly enough, the word "gumbo" seems to have evolved almost simultaneously from two different sources ~ one closely tied to Creole cuisine, the other connected to Cajun cuisine ~ and both of them tied to these ingredients. Okra is a green pod-like vegetable native to Africa. Filé powder is made of ground sassafras leaves, native to the southern U.S. Okra was introduced to Creole households by the African slaves who were brought to work on the wealthy planters' estates. Filé was introduced to Cajun settlers by the Choctaw Indians who helped the settlers survive in the wilderness. In Umbundu the word for okra is "ochingombo," which was eventually abridged to "gombo." And the Choctaw word for sassafras? "Kombo."

Okra and filé powder are rarely used in the same batch of gumbo ~ some people say that using both will make the gumbo too thick, and others even say that the two flavors cancel each other out. If using okra, it should be cooked for long enough that it loses its slimy texture ~ about 45 minutes. Filé powder, on the other hand, should not be added until the very end of cooking; boiling filé will cause the whole pot of gumbo to become stringy and gummy. Some people wait even longer and add the filé to each individual bowl of gumbo (about 1/4 teaspoon stirred into each bowl should suffice). This is a handy method to use if you plan on having leftovers to reheat later. Now go call your friends and make gumbo for them! However, make sure you have snacks out....gumbo isn't a 30 minute meal :-)

Chicken Andouille Gumbo

12 cups water
3 pounds chicken parts
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds okra
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 pound andouille ("on-do-E") sausage, sliced
1 28 ounce can Italian-style whole peeled tomatoes
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon file powder
1 box of instant rice

1. Combine water and chicken in large pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is tender, about 1 hour. Using tongs, transfer chicken to strainer and cool, saving cooking liquid. Remove meat from bones in pieces.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy skillet over medium heat. Add okra and cook until no longer sticky, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes; set aside.
3. Stir flour and remaining 1/2 cup oil in heavy large Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat until deep golden brown, stirring frequently, about 6 minutes. Add 4 cups reserved chicken cooking broth, okra, andouille sausage, tomatoes with their juices, bell pepper, celery, garlic, bay leaf, salt, thyme, basil, cayenne, and pepper. Cover partially and simmer until thickened, about 1 1/2 hours.
4. Spoon off any fat from surface of gumbo. Add chicken and file powder to gumbo and simmer gently 15 minutes. (NOTE: If preparing ahead, cover and refrigerate. When you are ready to serve, bring back to a simmer and continue to next step.)
5. Prepare instant rice per package directions.
6. Mound rice in shallow bowls and ladle gumbo over and serve.

ENJOY!