close

Mardi Gras gumbo

2 min read

Tuesday is the beginning of Mardi Gras. If you can’t go to New Orleans, make this great gumbo and invite your friends over.

Ingredients:

1 (4-1/2 lb.) chicken

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 onion, quartered

3 bay leaves

1 c. vegetable oil

1 c. flour

4 c. copped onion

2 c. chopped celery

12 c. chicken broth

2 lbs. frozen sliced okra

1 lb. cajun smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices

Hot cooked rice

Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

How to:

In a large Dutch oven, combing the chicken ribs of celery, quartered onion and bay leaves. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer one hour or until the chicken is tender. remove the chicken from the broth and let cool. Debone the chicken and set aside.

Strain the broth, discarding the solids. Reserve 12 cups of the broth.

In a cast iron skillet, combine the oil and flour and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the roux is the color of dark carmel, about 20 minutes. Stir in the copped onion and chopped celery and cook for 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the Dutch oven. Add the reserved broth, chicken, okra and sausage and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for two hours, stirring occasionally.

Serve over hot cooked rice and garnish with parsley.

Serves 10 to 12

Capt. Dick May is the owner of Easy Rider Charters in Bokeelia. He can be reached at 283-3247 or easyridercharters.com. Capt. Dick’s Florida Gulf Coast Seafood and Much More (cookbook) $11.50 plus $2.50 postage can be ordered by calling the number above or by mailing to 7989 Judge Bean Road, Bokeelia, FL 33922. Make checks payable to Dick May.