Basics for Making Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

Series Summary

Every ten years, card carrying Cajuns are forced to traverse by skiff the uncharted backwaters of Lake Ponchartrain to renew their culture licenses. Upon reaching the Department of Cajun Heritage, they encounter old-timers with names like Sibedeaux, Gastineaux and Robeshaw who have been drinking Dixie beer and playing accordions continuously since they turned eight years of age. Before these dignified pillars of Louisiana heritage, the expired Cajun must prepare a bowl of gumbo, not just any bowl, but one fit for dinner tables in such Cajun strongholds as Cottonport and Alexandria. Should this gumbo fail to impress the eaux's and shaw's of this world, the humiliated cook is immediately exported. Back to Quebec? Back to France? No outsider can be sure, though by the light of a full moon visitors to the bayou have witnessed intimate conversations between wild-eyed Cajuns and alligators with thick accents.

Karl James has not only passed the stringent gumbo renewal test multiple times, the DCH has frequently ordered food from his catering company during lulls in the application process. So follow this free video series as he guides you through each step of preparing a genuine gumbo feast fit for a Cajun.

Video Transcript

"Hi my name is Karl James owner of Creolesoul catering and on behalf of Expert Village I'm here to show you a simple chicken and sausage gumbo. Okay gumbo, gumbo is a hearty stew is basically what it is the chicken and sausage is probably the most simples of all receipts. You can have seafood gumbo, a gumbo that I like to prepare is a everything kind of gumbo but with the chicken and sausage we are going to use pieces of chicken as well as a Dewey sausage. Dewey is where my momma is from part of Louisiana that she is from the actually pronounce it La Dewey is the sausage we are going to use. You can use smoke sausage, kielbasa, whatever you can get your hands on. Anyway is s a simple gumbo the trick of all of it is going to be making the roux that is the secret to the gumbo you just want to take your time and make the roux. In some sections they make a dark roux we are going to be looking at more of a peanut butter color roux maybe a slightly darker then that. Anyway we are going to get started with our sausage and chicken gumbo."