It is cold here. There is snow on the ground. I made andouille the other day. Conditions were perfect for making gumbo!

This Cajun dish is delicious. A touch of spice, a deep dark texture and a mixture of shellfish, chicken and andouille. While I love this version, I apologize to all of Louisiana for my corruption of their recipe.

A video of me cooking this dish is embedded at the bottom of the post.

The ingredients required are:

• 3/8 cup flour
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 tablespoon flour
• 1 cups diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/8 cup (1 ounce) soy sauce
• 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced
• 1/4 pound Andouille sausage, diced (may substitute garlic sausage)
• 1/3 pound prawns, shelled, deveined
• 1 /2 pound scallops

Cook the flour in a heavy pot (a thin one will burn the flour) over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is a light tan colour. Remove from the heat and stir in the oil. Cover the pot and put it on the lowest rack of a 350 F oven for 35 minutes to darken the roux (the mixture of oil and flour).

Stir the roux and put over medium heat. Add onion, green pepper and celery and stir frequently until the vegetables begin to soften. Add garlic, thyme, cayenne and 1/2 tablespoon flour. Stir until you can smell the garlic and thyme. Add tomatoes and cook for a minute or two.

Slowly add chicken broth while stirring thoroughly. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer. Add the chicken and simmer for 30 minutes.

At this point, I allow it to cool and put it in the fridge so I can finish it quickly later. You don’t have to let it cool and can continue to finish the gumbo.

Stir the andouille into the gumbo and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the prawns and scallops and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve it over cooked rice and bow to the south to thank the Cajuns who invented this great dish!

The Old Fat Guy