Chicken and Andouille Gumbo
Today’s post is unlike any I’ve written before. On this first day of 2019, I’d like to dedicate this entry to my late son, Christopher Masters. It’s been just over three years ago that my son died. But rather than focus on his passing, this entry is a tribute to how Christopher lived and his love of cooking. So grab a cup of coffee or tea. Reading this may take awhile.
Christopher’s culinary adventures
Christopher grew up in a home with two parents who loved to cook, eat and entertain friends and family. Not surprisingly, my son showed an early interest in helping out in the kitchen. When he was about three years old, I began letting him help prepare meals. He would stand on a chair by the kitchen sink where he could rinse fresh vegetables. No doubt he got more water on himself than he did on the vegetables. The mess did not matter. What mattered was that he and I were able to bond over something that I enjoyed. Never did I dream that he’d end up cooking in a professional kitchen.
When he was about six years old Christopher asked if I would film him doing a cooking demo. At that time he had been watching a lot of Food TV. His favorite show was Iron Chef. Christopher was fascinated by what he saw and wanted to be just like the chefs on the show. So together we decided that I would videotape him as he made his little brother’s birthday cake. Needless to say it was a masterpiece. At least through the eyes of his mother. Luckily his brother Collin was too young to care about how the cake looked. At age 3, all Collin cared about was getting to taste something yummy and sweet.
Christopher continued his interest in cooking over the next several years. When he was in elementary school I taught him how to make handmade chocolate truffles. Christopher was proud to give them as gifts to his teachers during the holidays.
As a 10 year old he became famous for his pepperoni appetizers. He created a recipe that was basically a flour tortilla, sprinkled with shredded cheese, pepperoni slices and his choice of herbs and spices. Once cooked, he would use a pizza cutter and slice it into small wedges. If we had a dime for every time he made this snack we could have owned the food network!
Christopher (age 11) cooking up some new creation.
But it wasn’t until he entered high school that his interest in food really took off. All of the credit for this goes to Brook Harlan. Brook was Christopher’s wrestling coach. He was also Christopher’s culinary arts instructor. Since weight management is a huge part of competitive wrestling, Brook made a point of teaching his wrestlers the importance of eating healthy. Brook used his culinary expertise to get the team into the kitchen where he taught them how to prepare foods that would fuel their bodies in a healthy way.
Coach Harlan had a profound influence on my son. While Christopher had never wrestled competitively until his sophomore year, Brook took a chance on him. Coach Harlan lit a fire in Christopher to work his tail off to be the best he could be. This encouragement resulted in Christopher having a successful wrestling career that included him becoming team captain. Some of our fondest memories were of watching our son grow in confidence and competitiveness during his high school wrestling years.
It was during his culinary arts class that Brook taught Christopher how to cook a proper Gumbo. Brook should know a little something about Cajun cooking since he has worked at the legendary New Orleans restaurant, Commander’s Palace . Christopher was already fond of Cajun food, since we often made it at home. But it was Brook’s recipe for Chicken and Andouille Gumbo that became my son’s favorite.
During Christopher’s high school graduation weekend he prepared Gumbo for the family. Since it was an especially beautiful weather day, he decided to cook everything outside on the grill. Watching him show his appreciation for his family members by feeding them made this Momma proud.
Christopher seasoning his pot of Gumbo.
Christopher never hesitated to give hugs to those he loved. Here he is taking a break from cooking his Gumbo to hug his Grandmother.
It was the two years that Christopher spent in Brook’s Culinary Arts class that created a pathway that lead my son to cooking professionally. As a young adult, Chris held various jobs in cooking and catering. He eventually landed his spot at a local restaurant, 44 Stone Public House, where he worked for nearly 4 years before his untimely death.
2019 Theme: Cooking with Friends and Family
This year I’ve decided that I’d like to focus my blog posts on cooking with friends and family. I’ll be inviting friends and family to come to my kitchen and teach me how to cook their favorite dish. While I’d give anything to be able to cook alongside my son again, today I’ve decided to begin the new year by featuring one of Christopher’s favorite things to cook and eat. Chicken and Andouille Gumbo.
Although we were in the middle of a hectic holiday season I reached out to Christopher’s former coach and culinary instructor to see if he’d be willing to teach me how to prepare the dish that he taught Christopher to make over 10 years ago. Lucky for me and my readers, Brook made it happen. Brook generously invited me to come to his home for our cooking session. I’m so glad that I agreed. He and his talented wife designed their new home to include a custom kitchen. Every single inch of the space was created to give Brook exactly what he wanted to prepare amazing food.
Brook’s professional chef’s kitchen was a dream to cook in.
Brook and I dicing up the Andouille sausage and Tasso ham. A must for great Gumbo.
The Andouille, Tasso ham and brown chicken stock that we used were all made by Brook’s Culinary Arts Students and the Columbia Career Center. For those of you who live in Mid-Missouri you must check out their website. You can purchase all kinds of amazing ingredients as well as baked goods. Everything is made by the students under the direction of a very talented team of professional chefs/culinary arts teachers. The Culinary Arts Career Center Program routinely develops young talent who go off to win national culinary and pastry competitions. Several of their students go on to Culinary School and careers in the food industry. It is truly one of the gems in our local school district.
Me bossing Brook around his drool-worthy kitchen. Haha.
Without a doubt, getting to spend time cooking with one of Christopher’s former mentors was an experience I will treasure forever. Brook is not only an amazing chef, dedicated culinary instructor and someone I’m proud to call friend, his generous invitation to teach me how to cook Gumbo allowed me to step back into Christopher’s past. For me, cooking not only ends up nourishing the body, but it can also feed the soul.
Brook suggested I wear one of his aprons that was given to him when he was the Wrestling Coach at Rock Bridge High School. So special.
Enjoy more about Brook’s cooking by reading his monthly food column at Inside Columbia magazine.
Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo
Ingredients
- 1 pound Andouille sausage, small dice
- 1/2 pound Tasso ham, small dice sub in country ham
- 1 - 2 pounds Chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
- 1 cup flour
- extra vegetable oil as needed
- 2 large yellow onions, small dice
- 1 large green bell pepper, small dice
- 3 stalks celery, small dice
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 3-5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 quarts brown chicken stock
- pinch dried oregano
- pinch dried marjoram
- pinch chipotle chili powder
- pinch spanish paprika
- pinch dried thyme
Instructions
- In large, heavy bottomed pot render andouille sausage and ham over medium low heat until slightly crisp.
- Use slotted spoon to remove sausage and ham from pot and reserve (will add back to pot later).
- Strain rendered fat and add to a new saute pan. Keep original pot ready to use again later. Do not clean out pot. You will want all of the caramelized bits on the bottom of the pan to flavor the gumbo.
- In clean skillet, heat rendered fat over medium-low heat. Add one cup of flour to the fat, whisking to incorporate.
- Add more vegetable oil as needed until roux is a little thicker than the consistency of gravy.
- Cook over medium-low heat while stirring CONSTANTLY until the roux becomes the color of peanut butter to dark chocolate, depending on your desired flavor. Do not let roux burn.
- Once roux is at desired color, carefully transfer to an oven safe container. Put roux in refrigerator to cool.
- Heat original pot to medium high. Add the trinity (onions, peppers, celery) and a small amount of oil, salt and pepper.
- Cook trinity until the edges of the vegetables begin to brown.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the minced jalapeno and garlic.
- Season chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat a separate saute pan on high. Add some oil and sear the chicken on each side.
- Transfer seared chicken thighs to cutting board. Cool slightly and then cut into small dice. Add diced chicken to the pot that holds the previously cooked trinity.
Gumbo Base
- In a large saucepan, bring chicken stock to a simmer.
- Whisk in the cooled roux. Using small amounts at a time.
- Each time you've added some roux, let stock return to a simmer and check for the proper thickness before adding more roux.
- After gumbo base/stock mixture is the thickness you like (coats the back of a spoon), add herbs and spices.
- Simmer gumbo base/stock for 15-20 minutes to cook away any raw flour taste and let it continue to thicken.
- Add the gumbo base, andouille and ham to the original pan that holds the trinity and chicken. Stir well as you try to make sure you are scraping all of the caramelized bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Simmer gumbo until chicken is cooked through and flavors have melded. Another 15-30 minutes.
- Taste finished gumbo and adjust seasonings: salt, pepper, chipotle powder and paprika as needed.
- Serve over hot cooked rice.
Notes
- Like many stews and soups...the longer the flavors can rest together the better the dish. While you can serve this right away, expect that it will be even better the next day. Letting it sit in the refrigerator overnight.
- Making a roux is simple (the flour/fat/oil mixture). But it absolutely requires CONSTANT stirring with a whisk. This prevents it from getting lumps as well as getting scorched or burnt. Be sure to remove from heat before it gets too dark.
- If you cannot find a brown chicken stock, you can use a regular stock. However a brown stock gives more depth of flavor.
- If you have File powder in your pantry, sprinkle a bit of it over the top of the gumbo before serving.
