Gumbo Shop's Turkey Gumbo
This is the gumbo to make with the leavings of Thanksgiving, but there's no law that says you can't smoke a turkey on the grill in the middle of the summer. Doing so gives you a lot of great sandwich-makings. And everything you need for a big pot of very good gumbo. And here also is a use for all the frozen turkey leftovers on hand?
The hot sausage called for below is known in New Orleans as chaurice, a peppery fresh (not smoked) sausage of Spanish origin. (Also known as chorizo.) The recipe comes from the Gumbo Shop on St. Peter Street, which makes great gumbo in several styles.
- 1 turkey carcass
- 1 pound chaurice sausage or other fresh hot link sausage
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped green bell peppers
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 Tbs. minced garlic
- 1 Tbs. file powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp. thyme
- 1/2 tsp. basil
- 1/2 tsp. sage
- 1/2 tsp. white pepper
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 cup diced tomatoes
1. Trim as much meat as possible from the turkey carcass as possible and cut about 1 1/2 pounds of meat into bite sized pieces and set aside.
2. Break the turkey carcass into several pieces and place in a stock pot with three quarts of water. Bring the pot to a boil, lower the fire and simmer for three or four hours, reducing to two quarts. Strain the stock and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, slice the hot sausage into half-inch discs and spread evenly on a sheet pan or shallow baking pan. Place in a 400º oven and allow the sausage to brown, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and pour off the rendered fat. Set the sausage aside.
4. In a large heavy bottomed Dutch oven, melt the butter over a medium high fire. (If you wish you may replace part or all of the butter with the rendered sausage fat). Whisk in the flour and make a dark brown roux.
5. When the roux reaches the proper color, add the chopped onion, bell pepper and celery. Stir well and cook until tender, from time to time allowing the vegetables to stick a bit and then scraping up the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add bay leaves, thyme, basil, sage, white, black and cayenne pepper and salt. Cook for one more minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for five minutes, repeating the sticking and scraping process.
6. Slowly pour in the turkey stock, mixing well. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the reserved turkey meat and sliced cooked sausage and bring back to a boil. Lower the fire and simmer for 15 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, skim off any excess fat and add a little more stock if the gumbo is too thick. Serve in large bowls over steamed rice.
Serves 12.
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