Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

After our hearty and filling first course of Coconut-Curry Mussels, Bret and I leisurely cooked a wonderful Chicken and Sausage Gumbo for our New Year's Eve dinner.  I flagged this recipe from my most recent issue of Bon Appetit.  Since this dish takes about three hours to prep and cook, I knew that this would be perfect for our New Year's Eve night in.

First, I gathered our ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup (or more) vegetable oil
• 1 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/2" rounds
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced (white and pale parts separated from dark)
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic (this was about six cloves for me)
• 8 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 cups 1/2”-thick slices frozen okra, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• Steamed rice

After prepping the ingredients, there were still a lot of steps to this recipe.  As you may have noticed from my previous blog post, I didn't take photos of the cooking process because I wanted to just enjoy the time in the kitchen with Bret.  Sometime you just need to shut the camera off, turn up the music, pour a glass of wine and enjoy the actual act of cooking:

• I combined the salt, freshly ground black pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.  I then sprinkled the spice mixture all over the chicken thighs.
• I warmed up the 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in two batches, I seared the chicken until golden brown, about five minutes per side.
• I then transferred the browned chicken to a plate and then added the sausage to the pot.  Again, I cooked the sausage until browned, about four minutes per side. I transferred the browned sausage to another plate.
• I then strained the drippings from the Dutch oven through a fine-mesh sieve into a multi-cup heatproof measuring cup.  I reserved one cup of the strained drippings.  Since my drippings were less than a cup, I added more vegetable oil to measure one cup.
• Bret wiped the Dutch oven clean and I returned the drippings to pot.
• I warmed the drippings over medium heat.
• I whisked flour into drippings. Bret and I took turns whisking constantly until the roux was the color of milk chocolate.  This took about fifteen minutes for us.
• I reduced the heat to low heat.  I then added the onions and cooked until soft.
• Next, I stirred in the white and pale-green parts of scallions, celery stalks, green bell peppers, and garlic cloves and cooked those vegetables until soft.
• I then slowly whisked in the broth.
• I next added the bay leaves, thyme, and reserved chicken and sausage.
• I brought the gumbo to a boil.  Once it was boiling, I reduced the heat to low and let the gumbo simmer gently.  I skimmed a lot of fat from the surface while it was simmering and stirred occasionally. 
• I let the gumbo simmer for about forty-five minutes and then I stirred in one cup of okra, the Worcestershire sauce, and the hot sauce.
• I let the gumbo simmer for another forty-five minutes until the chicken was very tender and falling apart in the gumbo.
• I stirred in the remaining one cup of okra and simmered until the most recently-added okra was crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
• I removed the gumbo from the heat.
• I served the gumbo over rice and garnished the gumbo with the chopped dark-green parts of the scallions. 

This gumbo took a lot of time but was worth all of the effort.  The gumbo had a thick gravy-like consistency.  The chicken was tender and the sausage added the perfect amount of kick to the dish. 

The gumbo is also wonderful re-heated.  I served it to my girlfriends the next day while we watched the Pats game.  We froze about half of the gumbo but I'm looking forward to eating the other half of the leftovers for the next day or so.

This chicken and sausage gumbo was probably one of the more labor-intensive dishes I've made (next to Gordon Hamersley's Roast Chicken). 

Tell me, what is the most labor-intensive dish you've made?  Was it worth it?

Steamed Mussels in White Wine

While I have eaten mussels countless times in my life, I have actually never tried preparing mussels at home.  When I flipped through the most recent issue of Bon Appetit, I paused when I saw a really simple recipe for Steamed Mussels in White Wine.  I decided to broaden my horizons and attempt cooking mussels at home on my own. 

First, I gathered my ingredients:

1 large shallot, finely chopped
1/4 white onion, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 1/2 cubes (the original recipe calls for 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
4 pounds Moosabec Maine mussels, scrubbed, debearded (the original recipe calls for 4 1/2 pounds mussels)
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley (I use two squeezes from my parsley tube instead of fresh parsley)

I placed the shallot, onion, wine, butter and vinegar in my Dutch oven on medium heat. 

I added the mussels and covered the pot while bringing the liquid to a boil.  While the mussels were cooking, I gently shaked the pot a few times. 

The mussels cooked for about five minutes in the pot until they began to open.  I removed the unopened mussels.

I removed the mussels using a slotted spoon into a large bowl.  I poured the cooking liquid into a strainer lined with a double layer of cheesecloth over a bowl.  I seasoned the broth with pepper and poured it over the mussels.

I sprinkled the chopped parsley over the mussels before serving.

I decided to serve the mussels with some spaghetti tossed with home-made pesto and some free samples of California Olive Ranch extra-virgin olive oil. 

This was definitely a simple rustic meal but perfect for a Monday night.  I made way too many mussels and we had to throw some out.  Still, I was proud of this dish and was really surprised at how easy it was to make!

Have you ever cooked mussels at home?  What is your favorite way to prepare (or eat) mussels?

Strawberry-Raspberry Shortbread Cookies

As I mentioned previously, I flagged a lot of great recipes in the latest issue of Bon Appetit.  My baked flounder with tomatoes and cilantro was a big hit, so I decided to try my hand at another recipe from the magazine - Shortbread Cookies!

I followed the recipe pretty closely but made a few small changes of my own.

First, I pre-heated the oven to 400 degrees while I gathered the ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour


• 1/2 cup sugar


• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder


• 10 1/2 tablesppons unsalted butter, room temperature


• 1 large egg, room temperature


• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature


• 3 tablespoons (about) strawberry-raspberry jam

I whisked together the flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl.

I cut in the butter until the flour mixture was coarse.

I whisked the egg and egg yolk in a separate bowl.

I poured the egg mixture into the coarse flour mixture and stirred until a crumbly shortbread cookie dough began to form.

I rolled two tablespoons of dough into a ball and lined the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  I left about two inches of space in between the dough balls.

I used my index finger to make small indentations in the dough.

I fill the indentations with strawberry-raspberry jam.

The cookies went into the oven to bake for ten minutes before I allowed them to cool on the tray.

These shortbread cookies were so nutty and crumbly.  Bret couldn't stop raving about them since he love cookies made with whole wheat flour.  Plus, they made for a nice sweet snack during the weekend, while we anticipated Hurricane Irene.

I haven't done too much baking lately.  Tell me, what have you been baking lately?

Baked Flounder with Tomatoes and Cilantro

When I flipped through my most recent issue of Bon Appetit, I immediately flagged a few recipes of interest.  One of those recipes was a recipe for a super healthy Baked Flounder with Tomatoes and Basil.  After indulging quite a bit in Boothbay last weekend, I thought this dish would be a perfect way to get us back on track with healthy eating.

First, I gathered my ingredients.  Of course, I adapted the recipe a little to make it my own:

• 1.5 pounds of very ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered


• 4 garlic cloves, crushed


• 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil


• Lemon juice from one lemon


• 2 tablespoons of cilantro paste


• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste


• 2 8-ounce boneless flounder filets

I preheated the oven at 425 degrees as I did the practically nonexistent preparation for this dish.  I started by tossing the first five ingredients together in a roasting pan.  I spread the tomato mixture out in a single layer and then seasoned the tomatoes with salt and pepper.

The tomatoes baked for five minutes.  During this time, I opened up a bottle of malbec and poured myself a glass.  After all, the best way to cook is with a glass of wine!

After five minutes in the oven, I took the roasting pan out and topped the tomatoes with the flounder filets.

The roasting pan went back into the oven for another ten minutes and baked until the fish was nice and flaky.

This dish was so easy to make and the end result was super flavorful.  I spooned some more of the olive oil, garlic and lemon juice sauce onto the fish.  The sauce had such fantastic herb and citrus flavors and I ate every bite!

I have been having a real love affair with tomatoes lately.  Tell me, are you enjoying tomatoes as much as I am this summer?