Chef's Blog

To invoke one of my favorite phrases from Chef Devin Knell, the chicken and sausage gumbo that I made today came out T!TS.  That’s right, Devin, I’ve got a firm grasp of this gumbo.

Did you really click on that link?  Serves you right.  At least you won’t receive any embarrassing cookies, not like last time.

20# andouille

20# chicken thighs

5-6# dark brown roux

The rest is details, but I like a fistful of toasted paprika in there; the holy trinity of course (I always use green bell peppers because reds are too sweet); I left out the tomato in this batch because we don’t keep or use tomato paste in this kitchen; I always microplane the garlic that I add with the paprika and cayenne.

No alcohol in there, it can give the impression of acidity.  The dark roux makes it a gumbo (I don’t like the mucillagenous texture that file powder and okra would impart, so I leave them out), but one thing I never hear cooks mention is how much of an impact the stock or broth you use will have on your finished product.

I used a double-strength roasted chicken stock as the base for this batch of gumbo, so it tasted like a finished soup before I even started–I even had to add two quarts of water to mellow it out a little.

Don Barkley from Napa Smith will be at solbar tonight pouring his seasonal brews, and in addition to the gumbo, we have a ____-_____-good beef stroganov made from Painted Hills Ranch beef, and a cassoulet that will make you _____ in ______, maybe several times.  C’mon over to the  solbar lounge and fill in those blanks for yourself.  (Or someone else!).