Recipe(tried): Chicken and Sausage Gumbo and Bananas Foster for Diane, CA

My DH loves this!!!! I hope that you get a chance to make this and that if you do that you enjoy it, too:-)!!

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Makes 12 servings
Freezes well. Reheat in a microwave.

1 (3 1/2 - 4 lb.) chicken
1 stalk celery, cut into large chunks
1 or 2 slices onion
1 bay leaf
Water to cover
Salt, pepper and cayenne pepper

Bring chicken to boil with all other ingredients. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered about 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let chicken cool in the broth. When chicken is cool enough, remove skin and bones and cut chicken into bite size pieces. Return the chicken skin and bones to the broth and, again, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 1 hour. Strain, discard the vegetables and bay leaves, and save the stock. Refrigerate the chicken and broth, separately, covered, overnight. The next day, you will be able to skim the fat off the top of the broth which will have a gelatin-like consistency. You can either discard the fat or freeze it for other uses. It will be about 1/2 c.

If you feel that your chicken stock doesn't have enough flavor, feel free to add 2 to 4 (or more) chicken bouillon cubes.

Now for the rest of the recipe:

1/2 to 1 lb. good quality andouille or smoked sausage, chopped (I often use Hillshire farms smoked sausage since way back when I started maiking this recipe, I could not find andouille. I slice the sausage into fourths, lenghtwise, then slice into about 1/4 inch pieces. I ususally use just 1/2 lb.)
2 c. okra (This isn't optional. If you think you don't like okra, you won't even taste it in the gumbo and you need it for proper gumbo consistency. I usually use frozen, sliced since the fresh okra I find here doesn't usually look too fabulous.)

1 bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 green onions, chopped 3 bay leaves
1 tsp. basil
2 tsp. thyme
2 tomatoes, fresh or canned, peeled, seeded and chopped
Gumbo File (Traditionally used as a garnish for gumbo, file is the exotic spice made from finely ground sassafras leaves. I used to be able to find this in my regular supermarket but have had more difficulty lately. A "gourmet" store may carry it. One brand is Tony Chachere's. Another is Zatarain's.)
1/4 c. flour
1/3 c. canola oil

Make your roux using the 1/3 c. canola oil and 1/4 c. flour. Heat oil and flour together in a heavy (cast iron)pan over medium heat, stirring constantly to make sure it doesn't burn. The roux for a gumbo can be made darker (almost chocolate colored) than for the shrimo creole recipe that I posted. Making the roux should take from 5 to 10 minutes and can be made well in advance. It keeps weeks, tightly covered, in the refrigerator.

In a large pot, saute the sausage. Remove sausage from pot and saute okra, bell pepper, garlic, onion, green onion, celery, bay leaves, basil and thyme in sausage drippings. (I use my food processor to chop everything since there is so much chopping involved in this recipe. Also,,there isn't usually too much fat from the sausage but the vegetables give off quite a lot of water as they are cooking. I have never had a problem with them burning but you should keep a close eye on them.) When tender, add the tomatoes. Let this simmer about 10 to 15 minutes, stiriing frequently. Add the roux to this mixture and let it heat up a bit. Add 6 cups chicken stock slowly, stirring. Add the sausage. Simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add the chicken and simmer for another 1/2 hour or so. Season to taste with salt ans cayenne pepper. Serve over fluffy white rice in soup bowls. Usually, if okra is used, file powder is not, but I like the flavor of Gumbo File so we sprinkle 1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp. on each of our servings, then mix it in. Obviuosly, you can use short cuts such as boneless skinless chicken breasts and canned chicken broth for this recipe. I never have because I was always afriad that I would lose some of the flavor. Also, this is one of those dishes that is even better the next day since the flavors have had time to mingle.

Serve with a green salad, crusty "Freedom" (French) bread and Babanas Foster (recipe follows) for dessert.

Bananas Foster

2 Tbl. butter
4 Tbl. dark brown sugar
2 bananas
Pinch cinnamon
1 Tbl. banana liqueur
1 oz. rum or brandy
Vanilla ice cream

Mix butter and brown sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it is caramelized. Cut bananas in quarters. Add and cook until tender. Add cinnamon and liqueur; stir. Remove from stove. Add rum or brandy to top of mixture. DO NOT STIR. Light (ignite). Spoon over vanilla ice cream while flaming. Serves 4.