Recipes

Mr. B’s Gumbo Ya-Ya

  • Serves

    serves 8-10

TODD COLEMAN

This dark-roux gumbo originates in Cajun country. This recipe first appeared in our April 2013 special feature on New Orleans.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium onions (1 quartered, 1 finely chopped)
  • 3 stalks celery (2 halved, 1 finely chopped)
  • 2 tbsp. black peppercorns
  • 1 (3 1/2-lb.) whole chicken
  • 2 medium carrots, halved
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 16 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1 12 cups flour
  • 1 each red and green bell pepper, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 lb. andouille sausage, sliced
  • 1 tbsp. Creole seasoning
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme
  • 12 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
  • 3 bay leaves
  • Cooked white rice

Instructions

Step 1

Bring chicken, quartered onion, halved celery, peppercorns, 2 bay, carrots, thyme sprigs, and 10 cups water to a boil in an 8-qt. saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until chicken is cooked through, 35-40 minutes. Remove chicken; cool, then shred meat. Strain stock; discard solids and set aside.

Step 2

Heat butter in an 8-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour; cook, stirring, to make a dark roux, 18-20 minutes. Add remaining chopped onion, celery, and bay, plus bell peppers, garlic, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring, until soft, 8-10 minutes. Add andouille, Creole seasoning, cayenne, dried thyme, and chile flakes; cook until fat begins to render from sausage, 3-4 minutes. Stir in 5 1⁄2 cups of reserved stock (chill remainder for another use); bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring, until thickened, 8-10 minutes. Add chicken; cook until hot, 2 minutes more. Serve with white rice.

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