BLAKE’S DUCK, GREEN ONION AND CHICKEN SAUSAGE GUMBO
Serves 10-12
Blake LeMaire comes from the Acadian prairie, so he favors a
lighter, brothier gumbo over our thicker and richer New Orleans-style
gumbo. This recipe is designed for a mallard or a black duck, but any
duck, or a goose for that matter, will work well, too.
1 cup canola oil
1 cup flour
3 large onions, diced
1 large duck, cut into 12 pieces
2 tablespoons Creole spices (1 tablespoon each of paprika, coarse sea
salt, freshly ground pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, 2
tablespoons celery salt, 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper and 1/2 teaspoon
ground allspice)
2 pounds spicy chicken sausage links, sliced into ½ inch-thick rounds
2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 to 8 green onions, chopped
4 quarts chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 pound smoked pork sausage links, chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco sauce
1. Make a roux by heating the oil in a large cast-iron or
heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Whisk the flour into the hot oil. It
will immediately begin to sizzle. Reduce the heat to moderate and
continue whisking until the roux takes on a nice brown color, about 15
minutes. Add the onions, stirring them into the roux with a wooden
spoon. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue stirring until the
roux is a light brown color, about 10 minutes.
2. Season the duck with Creole spices. Add the duck to the pot,
increase heat to moderate, and cook, turning the pieces until browned,
about 10 minutes.
3. Add the chicken sausage and stir for a minute, then add the bell
peppers and garlic. Increase the heat to moderate and cook, stirring,
for about 3 minutes. Add the green onions, chicken stock, and bay
leaves. Bring the gumbo to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the
heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally and
skim off the fat from the surface of the gumbo every so often.
4. Add the smoked pork sausage to the pot, then the Worcestershire.
Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco. Simmer for another 45 minutes,
continuing to skim the fat off the gumbo. Serve in bowls over rice.