Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

1 Chicken, cut into 1/2 t Cayenne pepper
-10 pieces Vegetable oil for
Salt -deep frying
Garlic powder 7 C Chicken stock,
Cayenne pepper -homemade or canned
1 C Onions, finely chopped 1/2 lb Andouille smoked
1 C Green bell pepper, -sausage, cut into
-finely chopped -1/4-inch cubes
3/4 C Celery, finely chopped -(See note about
1 1/4 C Flour -this ingredient)
1/2 t Salt 1 t Garlic
1/2 t Garlic powder

Cut extra fat from the chicken pieces. Sprinkle each generously on both
sides with salt, garlic powder and cayenne, rubbing the spices in after all
three have been applied. Let stand at room temperature while you chop the
vegetables and heat the oil.

Chop the onions, bell pepper and celery, combine in a bowl, and set aside.

In a large, heavy skillet, heat about 1 to 1 1/2 inches of oil until very
hot 375 degrees F. to 400 degrees F. Leave about 1/2 inch of space below
the top of the pan, so it won't overflow when you add the chicken pieces
later. Use a deep fry thermometer if you have one.

While the oil is heating, combine the flour, about 1/2 t salt, about 1/2 t
garlic powder and about 1/2 t cayenne in a paper bag. When the oil is
almost hot enough, add the chicken pieces one or two at a time and shake
until they are well-coated. Save about 1/2 cup of the leftover flour.

Put the stock in a large kettle or Dutch oven and begin heating it to a
boil. Fry the chicken until the crust is brown on both sides and the meat
is cooked. This takes about 6 minutes a side for light meat, a bit longer
for dark. Drain on paper towels. You may have to fry the chicken in two
batches.

Pour the hot oil into a glass measuring cup, being very careful to leave as
many of the browned particles as possible in the pan. Pour about 1/2 cup
of the oil back into the pan and discard the rest.

Place the pan over high heat. Using a whisk, gradually stir in the
leftover flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until this roux is dark
red-brown (about 4 minutes). Be very careful not to scorch the mixture, or
to splash any onto your skin as you stir. Remove from the heat, add the
vegetable mixture all at once and stir until the vegetables are all coated.
Return the pan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5
minutes.

Check that the stock has reached a boil. Add the vegetable mixture to the
stock in spoonfuls, stirring with the whisk after each addition. Return to
a boil and stir in the andouille and the minced garlic. Simmer uncovered
for about 45 minutes.

While the gumbo is cooking, remove the skin from the chicken pieces, and
cut off as much meat as you can. Cut the meat into small pieces (about 1/2
inch cubes). When the gumbo is cooked, add the chicken meat.

The original recipe did not call for this, but I take time to spoon off the
fat from the top of the gumbo. This is mostly oil, which does not solidify
when you chill it. You should be able to take off at least 1/2 cup.

To serve as a main course, mound about 1/2 cup of cooked gumbo-style rice
in a soup bowl, and ladle about 1 1/4 cups gumbo around the rice. For an
appetizer, use about 1 T of rice and about 3/4 cup of gumbo.

NOTES:

* Gumbo with chicken and Andouille sausage -- This is a recipe that I got
originally from Paul Prudhomme's cookbook, "The Louisiana Kitchen." It is
a classic Louisiana dish. Serve with gumbo-style rice.

* Note about Andouille (pronounced an-DOO-ee) sausage: this is a uniquely
spiced, smoked sausage made mostly in Louisiana. If you can get some, then
use it; it makes a substantial difference to the recipe to use it. If you
can't, then try the Polish sausage kielbasa as a substitute. Do not
substitute the sausage called "Louisiana Sausage" or "Louisiana Hot
Sausage." It's not the same thing.

: Difficulty: moderate to hard.
: Time: 1 hour preparation, 1 hour cooking.
: Precision: measure the seasonings.

: Vicki O'Day
: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto CA
: hplabs!oday

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