Glorious Gumbo!

For those of you who haven't had a chance to watch Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations on the Travel channel, you're in luck because this Labor Day the network is repeating past episodes during a special marathon (noon to 4 am the next day).  I personally never watched the show until Gabe swore by it and insisted that we watch in early January.  Since then I've tuned in to almost every new episode, and in celebration of this last season's final episode, "Cajun Country," Gabe decided to make Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo!

Using a recipe for "Easy Chicken Gumbo" (from the website My Recipe's) as a skeleton, Gabe modified accordingly for a glorious gumbo.  First, he cooked the chicken thighs in a large pot until browned and then removed them from the stove.  Using the same pot (without washing it), he added olive oil, butter, and flour creating a roux for the gumbo.

At this point things were beginning to smell delicious so I snapped a quick shot of Gabe in action.  Check out those whisking skills!  After creating the base, he added sweet onion, green bell pepper, celery, and Old Bay seasoning and then gradually stirred in the chicken meat (chopped up) and andouille sausage.  The ingredients were left to simmer on the stove for roughly 20 minutes and then Okra was added toward the end.  Gabe also cooked some white rice and served it with the gumbo for the final product!

I can still taste the delectable mixture of spices, chicken, and sausage - AMAZING!  A hearty meal indeed and in Gabe's words, "the welcoming of fall."

_Peace and Love