Mardi Gras Gumbo

(Note: this post was supposed to go up yesterday but was delayed due to network connectivity issues)

For this year's Mardi Gras I decided to get into the spirit of things and give gumbo a try. For those of you not familiar with this dish, gumbo is a stew that originated in Southern Louisiana and consists of meat and/or shellfish, okra, and the "holy trinity" of Cajun cooking-- green pepper, celery and onion. I got the idea from the most random of places--from watching Martha Stewart make it on Conan (hilarious segment, by the way-- Martha gets sauced on Sazeracs--check it out here: http://teamcoco.com/content/martha-stewart-makes-epic-entrance).

Martha's recipe looked a little too tomato-y so I decided to go with one from Paula Deen (also because no one cooks Southern food better than Southerners). Paula's original recipe made 8-10 servings so I cut it down quite a bit (though not exactly halving everything-- if you want to recipe for the full amount I'd recommend checking out foodnetwork.com). Although time consuming (I actually made it on Sunday and we ate the leftovers last night in honor of Mardi Gras), it was not that difficult to make. Which is a good thing since I have a feeling gumbo will now be in regular rotation at our house--it was that good. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Gumbo
Adapted from Paula Deen

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 links andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/4 cup flour
4 TBL butter
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 green pepper, seeded and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 TBL Worcestershire sauce
2 cups hot water
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 (14 ounce) can stewed tomatoes with juice
1 cup frozen sliced okra
2 green onion, sliced
1/4 pound cooked small shrimp, peeled and deveined
Rice (optional)

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and remove. Add sausage and cook until browned, remove.
2. Sprinkle the flour over the oil and add 2 TBL butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until brown. Remove from heat and let roux cool. (This is the perfect time to chop the rest of your veggies)
3. Return the Dutch oven to low heat and melt the remaining butter. Add onion, garlic, pepper, and celery and cook for about 8-10 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for another 5 minutes or so.
4. Add hot water and bouillon cubes, whisking constantly. Add chicken and sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes and okra. Cover and simmer for another 30-45 minutes.
6. Just before serving add the green onions and shrimp. Serve over rice or by itself (like soup).