Gumbo

Laissez les bon temps roulez.

Avery has been going through a big Princess and the Frog phase, and there's a scene with delicious gumbo and Tabasco within the first 10-15 minutes of it.  Since we rarely make it past the 20-minute mark before something happens to make us stop the movie (potty break, snack time, mailman comes, whatever), I've seen this scene probably at least once a day, every day, for the past two weeks.  

I needed some gumbo.

I derived this recipe from Emeril at the Food Network.  

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup vegetable oil (NOT OLIVE OIL)
1 pound smoked sausage, such as andouille or kielbasa, cut crosswise (I used Country Pleasin') into 1/2-inch thick pieces
4 pounds chicken thighs, skin removed (I just used 2 pounds boneless skinless thighs, then added a pound crawfish tails and a jar of crab when I put the browned chicken back in)
1 tablespoon Essence or Creole seasoning (I just used Tony's)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell peppers
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 bay leaves
9 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth (I just used 2 32-ounce boxes)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 tablespoon file powder
White Rice
Hot sauce

Directions
In a large enameled cast iron Dutch oven or large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. 
Add the sausage and cook until well browned, about 8 minutes. 
Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
Season the chicken with the Essence and add in batches to the fat remaining in the pan. 
Cook over medium-high heat until well browned, 5 to 6 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pan, let cool, and then refrigerate until ready to use.
Combine the remaining 1/2 cup oil and the flour in the same Dutch oven over medium heat. 
Cook, stirring slowly and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes, to make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate.
Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and cook, stirring, until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. 
Add the reserved sausage, salt, cayenne, and bay leaves, stir, and cook for 2 minutes. 
Stirring, slowly add the chicken stock, and cook, stirring, until well combined. 
Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
Add the reserved chicken (and crawfish tails and crab) to the pot and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, skimming off any fat that rises to the surface.
Remove the pot from the heat. 
(If you did boneless skinless thighs, you can skip this part!)Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken thighs from the gumbo and place on a cutting board to cool slightly. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Pull the chicken meat from the bones and shred, discarding the bones and skin. Return the meat to the gumbo.
Stir in the green onions, parsley, and file powder.
Spoon rice into the bottom of deep bowls or large cups and ladle the gumbo on top. Serve, passing hot sauce on the side.

A note about the oil: olive oil, though perhaps more healthy, has a lower smoke (burning) point than vegetable oil does.  So when making a roux with it, you're much more apt to burn your roux than if you use vegetable or canola oil.

Also, when it comes to crab, be sure you pick up the real thing at the grocery store.  I was distracted and picked up Krab with a K.  Wasn't aware of it till I went to stir the pot and was greeted with a horror show of unraveled pollock in what looked like creepy crab noodles. I picked that out and called it a lesson in kitchen presence.