Mr. "J" Goes to Camp

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Serves 8-10 regular people or 4-6 Cajuns 
2-3 lbs. chicken pieces
(any parts you like best, preferably boned or boneless)
1 cup oil                          
1 cup plain flour  
1 lb. of your favorite smoked sausage  
1 cup finely chopped onions
½ cup finely chopped bell pepper                                      
½ cup finely chopped celery
¼ cup finely chopped parsley                                               
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
6-8 cups chicken stock or water                    
salt, cayenne pepper to taste, your taste
your favorite brand of Cajun Seasoning mix can be substituted for salt and pepper

First you make a Roux.

Combine equal parts of flour and a good cooking oil or olive oil if you prefer. Blend flour and oil in as heavy bottom skillet or saucepan. Stir or wisk constantly over medium heat, until flour starts to turn light brown. Be very careful at this stage to avoid burning the roux. Keep stirring and cooking until the roux is a peanut butter color. If you like a darker gumbo continue cooking until the roux is a medium to dark brown. If any black specks appear in the roux, stop and throw it out and start over because you have burned the roux and it can’t be salvaged, everything you put into it will taste bitter and burned.

At this point two courses of action can occur:

You can stop the cooking process of the roux by adding your chopped vegetables except the parsley and garlic, and sautéing them until they are tender, about 5 minutes.

You can remove the roux to another container to cool by stirring. If you choose option two you will have to sauté the vegetables separately in a little oil. After the vegetables are combined with the roux, add cold chicken stock or cold water.

Roux made with one cup of flour and one cup of oil will normally thicken 6 to 8 cups of stock or water, you may adjust to your taste by adding the liquid gradually and stirring to check the consistency until it suits your taste. Remember, cold roux goes into hot liquid or hot roux goes into cold liquid. They are never the same temperature when mixed or lumps will form. Cut the chicken and sausage into bite size pieces. The chicken pieces and sausage along with the parsley, garlic and salt and pepper or Cajun seasoning are added at this time. The whole gumbo is brought to a boil and then cooked for one hour at a slow to medium simmer. After 15 minutes taste the broth and check for seasoning and adjust to taste. If you choose to precook the chicken the one hour cooking time can be reduced to ½ hour. However the longer a gumbo cooks the more intense the flavor of all the seasonings become. Any excess oil should be skimmed from the top of the pot after cooking is complete. It’s always better the second day.

Serve over cooked rice sprinkled with file’.

File’ powder is made of dried and finely ground sassafras leaves. It is a flavor additive and a thickening agent.

Garlic toast and potato salad with any gumbo makes a complete meal.

Note: In Cajun country it’s considered a Mortal Sin to serve gumbo

without potato salad.

I’m Not Going To Wake Him Up

Every year at summer camp I give my Senior Patrol Leader the same speech. It goes a little like this. “ Senior Patrol Leader, do you see my hammock  hanging under that tree in the shade. If by some chance, I am in that hammock taking a nap and you find it necessary to come over and get me, there had better be a bloody dead body some where near by, or when my feet hit the ground there will be one right where you were standing. If you come to get me you had better have a death certificate with you for me to sign. If you don’t, you handle what ever it is that comes up. That’s why you are the Senior Patrol Leader. Are you watching my lips and do you understand me?” Some years ago I had a especially young Senior Patrol Leader who was in camp one afternoon when my good friend the Camp Director came to visit with me, at the time I was taking a nap in my hammock. This very obedient young Scout told the Camp Director that he couldn’t come into our campsite because his Scoutmaster was taking a nap and by no stretch of the imagination was he even going over and awaken him.

That evening at supper the Camp Director told me this story and remarked that I had trained that Scout very well. I had to go back to my Senior Patrol Leader and qualify my instructions. I told him there were a few exceptions, God! and the Camp Director were the only two that I could think of at the time that mattered.