Mardi Gras

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

Banana Foster

Mardi Gras is just a couple of days away and the festivities already started in our neighborhood (Hillcrest). Here are two of our favorites dishes to eat during this colorful celebration.

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo (serves 6-8)

INGREDIENTS
½ cup canola oil
2 lb. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 oz. andouille sausage, cut into ½" pieces
4 slices bacon, cut into ½" pieces
1 cup flour
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. cayenne
6 canned, whole peeled tomatoes in juice, drained and crushed by hand
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
10 oz. okra, trimmed and cut into ½" slices
4 cups chicken stock
Cooked white rice, for serving
Hot sauce and filé powder, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat ¼ cup oil in an 8-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in two batches, season chicken with salt and pepper, and add chicken to pot; cook, turning once, until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add sausage and bacon, and cook, stirring, until their fat renders and bacon is browned, about 5 minutes; transfer to plate with chicken.
2. Add remaining oil, and reduce heat to medium-low; stir in flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until this mixture (called a roux) is the color of dark, reddish caramel, about 8 minutes. Add celery, onion, and pepper, and cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Add thyme, cayenne, tomatoes, garlic, and bay leaf, and cook for 3 minutes. Return chicken, sausage, and bacon to pot along with okra and stock, and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, okra is tender, and gumbo is thickened, about 30 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove and shred meat, and discard bones and skin; stir meat back into gumbo. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with white rice on the side. Serve with hot sauce and filé powder for sprinkling over each serving.

Banana Foster (serves 4)

INGREDIENTS
1½ cups light brown sugar
8 tbsp. unsalted butter
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 stick cinnamon, broken in half
6 underripe bananas, halved lengthwise, and then halved crosswise
¾ cup dark rum
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat sugar, butter, salt, and cinnamon in a 12" skillet over medium-low heat, and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves in butter. Add bananas, and cook, stirring gently, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add rum, and using a match or lighter, ignite to flambé, and cook until flame dies out. To serve, spoon bananas and sauce over scoops of ice cream in bowls.

recipes via: savour