Chicken, Shrimp, Andouille Gumbo

Deedy and I worked in the kitchen together making this gumbo I got from bon apetit. The original recipe was for 16 people, we cut it in half. I think what we cut it down too would feed 16 people. Holy smokes this makes a lot of food. The pot we used was close to overflowing. Fortunately, it's incredibly tasty. Word of warning....it's pretty spicy! As much food as this recipe makes, and the little amount of Cayenne, garlic, and onions, this thing was pretty hot. It was great on a cold winter day, although Deedy thought it was peaking her ability to eat it.

I loved it :)

If you make this, make sure you've got a big pot. Great for a party with lots of people. Make sure to have plenty of rice on hand to serve this with.

Ingredients

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all purpose flour
6 large onions, chopped (about 12 cups)
6 red bell peppers, seeded, chopped (about 7 cups)
8 celery stalks, chopped (about 3 cups)
16 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chopped fresh thyme
6 bay leaves
2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes with juice
4 8-ounce bottles clam juice
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
4 pounds andouille sausage, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
3 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 16-ounce packages sliced frozen okra

4 pounds peeled deveined medium shrimp
Minced fresh Italian parsley
Steamed rice

Directions

Heat oil in heavy 13-quart pot over medium-high heat until very hot and almost smoking. Add flour and stir constantly until mixture is dark reddish brown, about 5 minutes. Add chopped onions, chopped bell peppers, and chopped celery and cook until onions are soft and brown, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and cayenne and stir 2 minutes. Add wine, thyme, and bay leaves; bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes with juice, clam juice, broth, sausage, and chicken; simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Add okra and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Do ahead Gumbo base can be made 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Bring base to simmer before continuing.

Add shrimp to pot and cook shrimp until just opaque in center, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Season gumbo to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with minced parsley and serve with steamed rice alongside.

Great Grandma Miske's Rice

This is a rice pilaf recipe I got from my grandmother. She would always make this for me when I went to her house. She knew it was my favorite and now my kids like it too. I've modified the recipe a little bit, using Orzo instead of vermicilli.

Ingredients

1 tbls butter or little bit of olive oil
1 cup vermicelli
1 cup rice
1 cup chicken broth (I sometimes make this 2 cups and not use water)
1 cup water

optional

Sliced Mushrooms or some other vegetable of choice

Cooking

Heat cooking pan over medium heat. Melt butter. Once butter has melted add the vermicelli and saute until it turns golden. Don't try to get them all golden, if you do, you'll suffer the indignity of having burnt vermicelli. Add the rice. Stir to mix it up. Add the chicken broth and water and cover. Turn the heat to low, and stir a couple of times while the rice cooks. The rice will cook for 20 minutes.