Easy New Orleans Gumbo

Today is National Liqueur Day. So what does that have to do with New Orleans and Gumbo? Absolutely nothing and everything. Let me explain.

I wanted to make something to celebrate Liqueur Day. Call it writers block or creative dry spell, I couldn’t think of a darn thing. Then I realized I already had Gumbo on our meal plan. And while a whiskey laced bread pudding isn’t exactly a Liqueur infused dish, there was booze in it.

So where’s the bread pudding you ask? When it came time to put together our shopping list, I included everything for the gumbo on our list, but completely spaced out the bread pudding. I even made sticky notes as a reminder to add the bread pudding to the shopping list, and then forgot. We have been burning the candles at both ends with family commitments, home improvement project and church obligations. It’s been just so crazy. Most days I feel like I’m sleepwalking with my brain on auto pilot.

What can I say? Hope you enjoy the Gumbo – dessert will have to wait for another day.

New Orleans Gumbo
2 Celery Ribs
1 medium Yellow Onion
3 Garlic Cloves
1 large Bell Pepper, any color
12 oz Cajun Sausage
1 lb boneless Chicken Breast
1 lb (16-20 count) Shrimp
2 cups Chicken Stock
1 cup uncooked Converted Rice
1 (28-oz) can Diced Tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon dried Thyme
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
2 Bay Leaves
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Salt-Free Cajun Seasoning
3 tablespoons Flour
1/4 cup cold Water
1/4 cup Parsley, minced

Trim celery, then slice. Peel onion, then dice. Peel and mince garlic. Stem, core, seed and dice bell pepper. Set vegetables aside.

Cut sausage into 1/2-inch thick cuts on the bias, set aside. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch cubes, set aside. Peel and devein shrimp, remove tails. Keep shrimp chilled until ready to use.

In a large saucepan, bring chicken stock to a boil. Stir in the rice, celery, onions and garlic. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a Dutch Oven, combine the diced tomatoes, bell peppers, chicken meat, sausage, thyme, pepper, bay leaves, cayenne and Cajun seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine flour and water until smooth; gradually stir into the Dutch Oven mixture. Stir in shrimp. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for about 6 minutes or until shrimp is a beautiful pink and the gumbo has thickened. Fish out and discard bay leaves. Let gumbo simmer until ready to serve.

Remove rice from heat, let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Mince parsley, stir into the rice. Serve rice in a bowl ladled with gumbo. Enjoy.

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