Great Recipes - How to Make Flash (or Lightning) Gumbo

OK, so there is really nothing 'flash' about this gumbo: it just assumes you have prepared a nice chicken stock and Queen Ida's Cajun roux beforehand and have those things on hand. I'm going to tell you make the chicken, ham, and sausage variety rather than the seafood gumbo, which when done well, produces liquors reminiscent of a French bouillabaisse.

If you have done your stock, you should have a pound of chicken off the bone. Save this until last. Cut into bite-sized pieces cured ham and Cajun sausage (tastes range, but the middle ground is something like a Portuguese sausage). Assuming you have a gallon of broth, chop coarsely two medium onions, a fistful of parsley, several ribs of celery, three fat and ripe tomatoes (or one can), two green peppers and a pound (up to two pounds if you like) of sliced okra. A mashed clove of garlic or two is optional.

Assuming again that you have a good stock ready, I won't discuss correcting the seasonings. Get the stock to a roiling boil, and one by one add the vegetables in order of your preference. Once the stock is boiling again, turn the heat down to simmer and do just that for five or ten minutes.

Have half a cup of Cajun roux ready in a skillet and heat it up. Add ladle fulls of broth one at a time, being sure to stir in each ladle of liquid so there is no separation. When the 'gravy' has a consistency of heavy cream, you may then pour it slowly back into the gumbo pot, stirring all the while. Add the meats and let simmer for five minutes. Ladle over cooked white rice (ratio it at 5 parts gumbo to 1 part rice). Serve with file powder. Finally, a word about file powder: if it contains any sort of herb other than pure dried sassafras root, it is NOT file powder. It will therefore not taste like file powder and the gumbo will not be able to be called a proper 'file gumbo.' That's just something to consider. And by all means, use Louisiana hot sauce at your discretion. My favorite is Tabasco.

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