Hearty Louisiana Gumbo straight from The Adirondacks

What could gumbo and Winslow Homer possibly have in common?  Years ago I was lucky enough to spend a long weekend at the very same hunting club that Winslow Homer used as the setting for many of his Adirondack paintings.  The caretakers and our hosts were not only responsible for trails, buildings and fish, they were also responsible for doing family meals in the clubhouse.  One evening Peg made the most delicious gumbo and I had to have the recipe.  I will always associate gumbo with The North Woods Club even though I have been to New Orleans many times.
One of Homer's watercolors, The North Woods Club, is owned by The Art Institute in Chicago and could have been done at the time of our visit instead of in 1892.  Little has changed in this beautiful area of New York.   Pond boathouses still boast the beautiful wooden Adirondack boats, an abundance of deer come into the meadows looking for food and the views of the mountains remain unspoiled by modern life.

I took the liberty of making a few changes to Peg's recipe.  I added some Andouille, a Cajun style sausage, made locally by the North Country Smokehouse.  I also used pan roasted chicken thighs in place of cubed chicken.  Pan roasting the bone-in thighs adda a lot of additional flavor and I was able to use some of the fat to make the roux.   The word gumbo comes from an African derivation of the word for okra.  New Hampshire is not a very popular destination for okra as Bill found out this morning when I asked him to pick some up at the grocery store.  Five stores later he finally found some frozen chopped okra, a necessary ingredient for this delicious stew. Enjoy.



Louisiana Gumbo

Season 4 chicken thighs with oil, salt, pepper and a little cajun seasoning.

In a heavy saute pan, roast the thighs skin side down until the skin is golden brown.  Turn and continue cooking until cooked through.  You may need to remove some of the fat but reserve at least 2 tablespoons to make the roux.  After chicken is cooked set aside to cool.

 In the same pan (a large saucepan or dutch oven) on medium - low heat add:

2 tablespoons reserved chicken fat
6 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

This is the base of your roux.  Stir frequently and cook until the roux becomes a very dark brown.  This is the earthy flavor that will really make the gumbo. Cooking time can take up to 25 minutes.

Remove from heat and add:

1 cup chopped onion

1 small green pepper chopped

1 jalapeno pepper finely diced

1/4  cup sliced green onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 minced garlic cloves

Stir and put back on heat.  Cook for about 8 minutes stirring frequently until vegetables are soft.

Add:

3 cups of chicken stock

1 1/2 cups of spicy vegetable juice

1 28 oz. can of chopped tomatoes (with juice)

2 large bay leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons thyme

2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (I had this in the pantry and decided to add some – it contains a variety of spice including thyme, paprika, pepper, cayenne, and parsley).

10 oz package of frozen chopped okra

Continue cooking while you pan fry and brown:

2 Andouillie Sausages sliced into coins

Add these to the soup.  Simmer for one hour.

Check your seasonings and add salt and cayenne to taste.  Toward the end of your cooking time add the cooked chicken (in pieces) and some shrimp.  I like to add only the amount of shrimp I will be eating in one sitting so it doesn't get overcooked.  This recipe will easily serve six.  

Serve over white rice.