My Gumbo Gamble

After my first slow cooked success, I decided I was ready to try my hand at a pot o’ gumbo. I’m not gonna lie, the gumbo was… ok. I’ve never made gumbo before, so I don’t know if gumbo purists out there are reading my recipe and laughing their heads off at the inaccuracies, but I just felt like it was missing a little… something. (I think the theme for this post is going to be… ellipses.) After doing some research on other gumbo recipes, I think I may have narrowed the problem down to two possibilities: 1) the absence of filé powder or 2) that I didn’t start with a roux. Since I’m trying to make this recipe suitable for the slow cooker, I think I’ll table the roux issue for now and look into this… filé business.

I confess that I had to idea what filé powder was. FoodNetwork.com helped me out and now I’m pleased to pass the (rather fascinating) info along.

Choctaw Indians from the Louisiana bayou country are said to have been the first users of this seasoning made from the ground, dried leaves of the sassafras tree. Filé has a woodsy flavor reminiscent of root beer. It must be stirred into a dish after it's removed from the heat because undue cooking makes filé tough and stringy. It has become an integral part of Creole cooking and is used to thicken and flavor gumbos and other dishes.

Ok, I’m sold. Filé it is. Look for a reposting of this recipe soon, with my additions and modifications noted. Hey, you win some, you lose some, you make some again. If you want to give it a whirl yourself, my original recipe follows.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Serves 4-6.

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 links andouille sausage, diced (or any other sausage you like)
10 oz. frozen okra, thawed
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery stalks with leaves, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups tomato juice
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. each dried thyme and oregano
½ tsp. each salt, onion powder, garlic powder and ground mustard
¼ tsp. cayenne (or chipotle chili) pepper
ground black pepper to taste
4 cups cooked rice
hot sauce (optional)

This is my favorite part—combine all ingredients except for rice in the slow cooker. Mix well to combine. Cover and cook on love for 6 to 8 hours, or high for 3 to 4 hours. Serve with a scoop of rice on top and a dash of hot sauce.