Mardi Gras! My Gumbo Recipe

Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday. Whatever you call it – Laissez les bons temps rouler!

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So what is Mardi Gras besides a big drunken excuse for debauchery in New Orleans or Rio de Janeiro? Well, officially it’s the last day before Lent, the Catholic season of penance and prayer that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends weeks later on Easter Sunday. 99.9999% of Catholics give up sort of luxury or engage in some kind of self-denial as a sign of piety such as giving up sweets or coffee. The other .0001% is me – every year I give up Catholicism for Lent. (Feel free to join me.) So in advance of a whole season where they are supposed to be good boys and girls, Catholics would party their asses off the day before Ash Wednesday.

In 1920s New Orleans, people in the parades started throwing beads to people in the crowd and over the years they’ve become much sought-after souvenirs. In keeping with the American tradition of taking things too far, it then morphed into women baring their breasts in exchange for beads.

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It’s become a little tacky, so let’s update it for the blogging age. If any of you female readers email me a pic of you flashing your breasts, I’ll email you a picture of beads. Fair trade? hedonist@foodandwinehedonist.com

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Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

I love New Orleans cuisine and this is one of my favorite dishes. In fact, we named our dog Gumbo. Of course, there’s that uncomfortable moment when I (a Filipino) tell people I cooked Gumbo last night…

This recipe is originally from Emeril Lagasse which I’ve modified over the years.

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
2 cups chopped onions
1.5 cups chopped celery
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1.5 pounds andouille – I got mine from Biercamp. I took the last couple so I made up the rest with their delicious jalapeno sausage
Salt
1 tsp cayenne
5 bay leaves
8 cups of water
1 pound chicken, cut up in small chunks, sprinkled with cajun seasoning
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 cip chopped green peppers
2 Tablespoons file powder

Make the roux – Mix oil and flour in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir slowly for about 30-35 minutes until the roux is dark brown. Make sure you stir constantly so it doesn’t burn.
This pic actually looks yellow, but it was brown. I usually go much darker.
Add the onions, celery, peppers, and stir until softened.
Add the sausage, a tsp or two of salt, cayenne, and bay leaves. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the water, bring to a boil, and then lower heat. Simmer for about an hour – uncovered and stirring occasionally.
Add the chicken and simmer for 2 hours. Skim off any fat.
Remove from heat, take out bay leaves. Stir in parsley, green onions, and file powder.
Serve with a dollop of rice.