Recipe #99 - Chicken & Smoked Sausage Gumbo

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Sprinkle the chicken evenly with 2 tablespoons of the Poultry Magic (or 1 tablespoon plus 1 tablespoon of Meat Magic) and rub it in well. Let stand at room temperature while you dice the vegetables.

Note: Adjust the seasoning if desired with additional Poultry Magic or Meat Magic.

But, be warned, this is what happens when you shake the chicken in the baggie without sealing it all of the way. Yea, it was a mess!

Combine the onions, bell peppers and celery in a bowl and set aside.

Combine the remaining Poultry Magic (or Meat Magic) with the flour in a paper or plastic pag. Add the seasoned chicken pieces and shake until the chicken is well coated. Reserve 1/2 cup of the seasoned flour.

Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil in a large, heavy skillet over high  until very hot (375-400 degrees F), about 6 to 7 minutes. Fry the chicken until the crust is brown on both sides and the meat is cooked, about 5 to 8 minutes per side. You may have to fry the chicken in batches. Drain on paper towels. Carefully pour the hot oil into a heatproof glass measuring cup, leaving some of the brown bits in the pan, then return 1/2 cup of hot oil to the pan.

Return the pan to high heat and gradually whisk in the reserved 1/2 cup seasoned flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until the roux is dark red-brown, about 3 1/2-4 minutes, begin careful not to let it scorch or splash on you skin. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the vegetables, stirring constantly and scraping the pan bottom well until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil in a 5 1/2-quart saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the vegetables mixture by spoonfuls to the boiling stock, stirring between each addition until the roux is dissolved. Return to a boil, stirring and scraping the pan bottom often. Reduce the heat to low, stir in the Andouille and garlic, and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring often toward the end of the cooking time.

While the gumbo has cooked for 45 minutes, stir in the chicken.

Serve immediately. To serve as a main course, mound 1/3 cup cooked rice in the center of a low soup bowl, and ladle about 1 1/4 cups gumbo around the rice. For an appetizer, place 2 heaping tablespoons cooked rice in a cup and ladle about 3/4 cup gumbo on top.

This seriously was the best roux I've ever made. It was perfect! If I changed one thing, it would be to cut the chicken up into smaller pieces. Other than that - like I said - perfect!

Rating: 10 (easy)
Time: 2 hours (easy)
Serves: 6 main dish servings or 10 appetizer servings
Ingredients:
1 pound boneless chicken (breast or thighs or both)
2 tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic or 2 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Meat Magic (see note)
1 cup onions, finely diced
1 cup green bell peppers, finely diced
3/4 cup celery, finely diced
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil for frying
7 cups chicken stock
1/2 pound Andouille smoked sausage, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
2 cups hot cooked white rice

Recipe #48 - Italian Sausage Spinach Pie

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This one was a suggestion from my little sister TJ. She had it at a friends house and wanted me to give it a go. So here it goes...

In a skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Separate one egg and set the yolk aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg white and remaining eggs. Add spinach, mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, salt, garlic powder, pepper and sausage; mix well.

Line a 10-inch pie plate with bottom pastry. Add filling. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cute slits in pastry. If desired, make your own design from the pastry scraps; place on top crust. Beat water and remaining egg yolk; brush over top of pie.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 50-60 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

And it's finished! Although TJ said it wasn't as good as the one she had before, I think it turned out pretty well. Two things I would have done differently: 

1. After I thawed the spinach, I squeezed out a lot of the juice with a paper towel. It made the mixture a little dryer than I would have liked. 

2. There was a lot of mixture left over. Almost enough to make another pie. Also, I think the spinach to sausage ration was pretty off. It was very spinachy. To solve both problems I would add an extra half pound of sausage to the mix. It would balance out the mixture and add enough to be able to make a second pie.  

Rating: 7

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings: 2 pies - about 6 servings per pie

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds bulk Italian sausage

6 eggs

2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and slightly squeezed dry

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 (10 inch) pastry for a double crust pie

1 tablespoon water