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Directions

File Gumbo Recipe

This traditional stew known as Gumbo is what one thinks of as the food of Louisiana. Filé Gumbo is when the ground leaves of sassafras are added to the recipe. Because Filé (sassafras) should be added as the final step, as a topping at the end, adding it to any gumbo is possible.

Chicken and Seafood with celery, bell pepper and onions. Relatively easy to make, gumbo is a mix of many ingredients, in some ways the more the better. There is not "one" gumbo recipe, as there are many variations on the theme. The key to a good gumbo is time. Slow, low heat, can make the best gumbo.

ingredients:
1 cup flour - like Caputo "00" Chefs Flour
1 cup rice bran oil

1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup loosely chopped onion

6 quarts water
1 chicken (3 pounds) chopped into pieces with bone
1/4 cup rice bran oil
1 pound thickly sliced smoked sausage with heat
2 bay leaves
2 pounds bay shrimp without shell
2 dozen oysters
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 1/4 tablespoon Filé (sassafras)
Noirmoutier Fine Gray Sea Salt and freshly ground Tellicherry Peppercorns to taste

8 quart cast iron stock-pot (is best) for the gumbo
frying pan for sautéing the chicken and sausage

directions:
Make the Roux, the key to a great Gumbo, by heating the oil and adding the flour until golden brown. This takes time, be patient.

Add the celery, bell pepper, and onions. Cook until soft. Turn up the heat and add water to the roux and mix completely while bringing to a boil. Turn down to simmer.

Add the bay leaves.

Sauté the chicken in oil, when the chicken has browned add it the stock pot.

Saute the sausage and add it to the gumbo.

When the chicken is tender add the shrimp, oysters, parsley and green onions.

Cook until the shrimp is cooked, or if the shrimp is pre-cooked 5 to 1o minutes.

Salt and pepper and Filé to taste.

Serve over long grain rice.