Reverend's Yard Bird and Sausage Gumbo

Reverend's Yard Bird and Sausage Gumbo

3 lbs Boneless Chicken

3 lbs Link Smoked Sausage ((Browned) - Any link sausage will do .. Polish Kielbasa is awesome!

2 cartons of Fresh Mushrooms (Slice em!)

5 Cups Onion - dice em!

5 Cups Green Pepper - dice em!

1 whole bunch of Celery dice it up!

Lots of Garlic (From a jar I put at least three heaping tablespoons full.)

3/4 Cup Flour

3 8oz cans tomato paste

2 cans diced tomatoes (any will do but I like Oregano and Basil flavor)

1 14oz can chicken broth

oil to saute veggies

salt - 4 teaspoons ( I pour it off into the cupped palm of my hand so I am guessing at the "4" teaspoons)

pepper - 4 tea spoons

oregano powder - 4 tea spoons

thyme - 4 tea spoons

1 qt water

Liberal usage of Louisiana Hot Sauce

Rice

Set oven to 400 and place Flour on baking sheet ...its gonna smell awful but brown the flour until the outer edges are brown on top and the interior is a little brown with white underneath .. in other words don't burn the flour!  Brown it ....but don't burn it Black!

While the flour is browning set the heat on an eye to Medium High and add the water and chicken. You want the chicken to cook slowly in the water so it will not be tough.  Do not boil it! 

Take another baking sheet and put your sausage on it and place it on a rack in the oven so it can be browning while the Flour Browns. 

While your Chicken is cooking and the Sausage is browning cut up all of your vegetables and mix them together. Add oil to a large pot ( I usually just pour enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pot and add the vegetables. Place the Vegetables on a low to medium heat with a lid on the pot to hold in the moisture so that they soften up ) keep them stirred so they don't burn)

By this time you will have removed the browned sausage from the oven ...slice it up in to slices and set aside ...check your chicken and once it is not pink in the middle remove it and slice it up! DO NOT THROW AWAY THE BROTH ...you gonna use dat! ... mix the meats together.

By this time the Vegetables should be nice and soft ... and the flour nice and brown .... ADD the flour to the vegetables and stir vigorously (You makin rue now baby! ... its a short cut rue but it tastes great) Once you have the flour thoroughly mixed in add the Chicken Broth from your chicken you cooked..

You are home free now...

add the seasonings ... the Canned Broth ... the tomato paste and diced tomatoes ... stir it all up ..DONT FORGET THE HOT SAUCE TO TASTE! ......

Bring this awesome mixture to a boil ... stir it a lot so it doesn't stick on the bottom while its coming to a boil (if it burns on the bottom you are screwed and it will taste like SH&%) ... 

It only needs to come to a boil for a second .. then turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 45 minutes ... while it is cooking go on and make you some rice .......

Serve it up! Pour it over the rice or eat it by itself  ... you'll love it ...

* a note .....you can add shrimp to this ...raw shrimp should be added at the end when you are bringing it to a boil so in essence you are cooking the shrimp in the gumbo it only takes a couple of minutes .. its good but it doesn't keep so I don't do it very much because the GUMBO is even better on the second day after it has been sitting in the refridge over night and you reheat it .. Caution ..don't pour the rice into the whole Gumbo Pot .. the starch doesn't do well soaking over night .. rice if used should be fresh .....

Enjoy ... I've been cooking this a long time and everyone seems to Love it .... 

Rev