Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans? I sure do. It’s been far too long since we’ve visited what we consider our second home. Making this dish made me feel a whole lot better even if the true New Orleanians would say serving it with brown basmati rice is sacrilege. If you’re looking for gumbo file powder in Winnipeg, I’m happy to report Spice World carries it. Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Time: 60 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
30ml avocado or other cold-pressed neutral-flavoured oil
400g boneless-skinless chicken thighs – diced
400g smoked andouille or other smoked sausage
2 green bell peppers – seeded and diced
2 onions – diced
4 stalks celery – diced
4 cloves garlic – finely chopped
7g salt
5g chili powder
3g dried oregano
2g paprika
2g garlic powder
1g cayenne pepper (optional)
1g white pepper
1g black pepper
900ml chicken stock
150ml tomato paste
3 bay leaves
10g file powder (ground sassafras leaves)
6 green onions – sliced
Preparation:
Place a large pot on medium-high heat and add the oil.
When the oil is hot, add the chicken and sausage. Cook, stirring occasionally until the chicken is nearly cooked through (approximately ten minutes).
Stir in the peppers, onions, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables soften (approximately five minutes).
Stir in the salt and spices, cooking for two minutes.
Stir in the stock and tomato paste and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to maintain for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the file powder. Let stand for five minutes.
Serve immediately or refrigerate and gently reheat. Garnish with green onion.