Mary's Chicken and sausage gumbo
The first time I made gumbo, the product was 15 gallons for
a benefit cook-off. My work plan
included roasting 5 chickens, making stock, and roux at home. We chopped on site and cooked in a 20-gallon
stockpot over a portable gas burner – the wooden stirring spoon was 3 feet
long. This particular incarnation
involved sausage, crawfish, and altar wine.
A Catholic priest of Louisiana origins was on our team… People’s choice award!! Not bad for the first time out.
However, I don’t recommend this scale as a rule. These days, I make about a gallon at a time,
with some efficient shortcuts. My
favorite remains a dark roux-based chicken and sausage gumbo with okra. Seafood rarely makes an appearance. While I’ve tried file for thickening, the taste is not
my favorite, so I stick to a roux/okra combination to do that job. For a terrific history of gumbo’s origins and
the introduction of okra, filé or roux as thickeners, see Robert
Moss’s article
on the topic at Serious Eats.
