Sunday, October 23, 2011

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo + Gumbo Cook-Off + A Cajun Waltz

We had a fabulous time on Thursday evening at the 21st annual Realtors of Acadiana Gumbo Cook-Off. There were dozens of gumbo booths,  all competing for the best gumbo in Lafayette and only $5.00 for all-you-could-eat! Pure heaven, cher, and it was very hard to pick a fave.


But clearly, my favorite was the seafood gumbo from the Teche Federal Bank booth. It was packed with flavor with lots of shrimp, crab meat, and crawfish,  and had a generous dose of Tabasco, which gave it that unmistakable spicy taste. It was sinfully good!


This chicken and sausage gumbo from the Coldwell Banker booth was a close second and was also seasoned well and very flavorful and delicious Cest bon!


There was a costume contest and all the booths were decorated according to this year's theme, Fun and Games. This group was lively and their chicken and sausage gumbo was fab!


There was just about every kind of gumbo you could imagine, including duck and venison sausage, and gator and sausage, and all of the proceeds went to local housing charities.




And of course there was live music and dancing, and Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie entertained the crowd. Had to dance off that gumbo, rice, and potato salad.


Here's a little clip that I took. Most people were still eating, but a few could not resist a dance or two. That's my friend Tom, in the plaid shirt and baseball cap. This one's for you, cher.

Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie




*******
 We are finally warming back up to 80 degrees in Cajun country, but earlier this week, we had an early cold snap with lows in the low 40's and it was a shock, but perfect for cooking a gumbo.  I made my first gumbo of the season and it was totally scrumptious and I wanted to share the recipe. Bon appetit!

 Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

1 cut up fryer or gumbo hen
1 lb. Andouille sausage (or smoked sausage), sliced
1 pt. oysters w/ liquid, optional
1 cup each onions, bell peppers, and celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbs.'s Cajun seasoning (divided)
Salt and Tabasco to taste
3 bay leaves
3 quarts chicken stock or warm water

First, you make a roux.

3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup vegetable oil


Combine flour and oil in a large Dutch oven, on medium heat, and stir constantly, for about 10 to 15 minutes, until medium brown in color. Scrape bottom and sides, often. When desired color is reached, lower heat and add the "holy trinity" (onions, celery, and bell peppers), and garlic, stir well for about 3 minutes, then slowly add the chicken stock or  water. Add seasonings, bay leaves, and Tabasco , and bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.


Season chicken and sausage with 1 tbs. of Cajun seasoning. Brown seasoned chicken and sausage, on both sides, in a large cast iron skillet. Drain excess oil and add to the gumbo. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add green onions, parsley, and oysters, and a few shakes of Tabasco, and stir and cook for 10 more minutes. Skim excess oil and top each bowl with a little gumbo file' powder and serve with a scoop of rice,  potato salad and hot French bread. Serves 8 Cest bon, cher!


I am sharing these at ~





For my seafood gumbo recipe, click here.








********
A Cajun Waltz

Here's another clip that I took at Festival Acadiens of a traditional Cajun waltz. Walter Mouton and the Scott Playboys were swaying the crowd at Scene Ma Louisiane. Walter is a master accordionist and has been entertaining Cajun country for over 40 years.

Walter Mouton and the Scott Playboys


Wishing all of you a fantastic week ahead! Merci beauoup for stopping by!

31 comments:

A Kitchen Witch said...

Sigh. You're images always make me wish I had a bowl of whatever you're servin' up.

Big Dude said...

You Cajuns sure know how to have a good time. Don't think I'd like the heat and humidity in the hot months but wouldn't mind a few dances in the cooler weather. The gumbo looks delicious.

Susanna Powers said...

Hi Marguerite, The way you describe the steps in the recipe, I think I could give it a try. And it looks like such a fun event. thanks & enjoy the lovely weather, sp

Drick said...

love those oysters in there, should start to begin to get sweeter as the water cools, spawning should be over soon, right? .... what a wonderful way to spend a day, wish I was there...

Eddie Bluelights said...

Mouth watering time again!! Would just love to have a big helping of the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo - truly scrumptuous. My word, Tom can certainly 'trip the light fantastic' and so can his partner. I can see how all this gets completely into your blood - everyone is enjoying themselves. Liked the Cajun Waltz as well. Cheers for now ~ Eddie

Anonymous said...

Seafood gumbo..yes my favourite too.What a lovely time you had here;)

Rosaria Williams said...

It's gumbo weather here already, with clouds and cool nights. Thanks for a great recipe and fantastic instructions.

Kara said...

Wow! That festival looked awesome! And the seafood gumbo sounded so good! Thanks for the recipe! I really want to try this!! :D

Kara :)

Cloudia said...

love the fun here!



Aloha from Waikiki;

Comfort Spiral



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Kara said...

I gave you a versatile award :D Yay!

Marguerite said...

KW- Thanks for the sweet compliment, cher! Hope you try the gumbo. You'll be glad you did. :)

Dude- We do love to have a good time! You and Bev should plan on making one of our festivals. :) Thanks, hope you give it a try!

sussah- Thanks, it's so worth the effort and I'm so glad you want to try it. It was a lot of fun. You're welcome and you too!

Drick- Plenty of oysters here, cher. Just check out the Shucks Restaurant of Abbeville website. Thanks, it was and I wish you were, too.

Eddie- Merci beaucoup for your sweet comment, cher! It's so good that you'd want to have two big bowls. LOL Yes, Tom really knows how to boogie. Glad you enjoyed it!

Gypsy Heart said...

Oh my word! Now this is some serious food, cher. I would LOVE the gumbo you made.

xo
Pat

Pat Tillett said...

Your recipe looks and sounds amazing! The gumbo fest looks like it was a lot of fun and good food!

Manzanita said...

Hey Marguerite,
I love your part of the country and the food and music. I especially like the videos of the dancing. The waltz seems to be the most popular. Teaching em young .... by the father dancing with the little boy. How precious.

Manzanita@Wannabuyaduck

Pam said...

I am so jealous of you and your Cajun buddies, always good food, good times and good music. Great video too!

Michelle said...

I love that first taste of gumbo weather...and that first taste of gumbo too! Thanks for linking up!

Velva said...

It is definitely time for gumbo. Its soulful and comforting. Love it. I may just have to add this my must list of dishes.

Hope all is well.
Velva

Miriam said...

Mmm, nothin' better than gumbo!! Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters

Angie's Recipes said...

I have never made gumbo...your seafood gumbo looks mouthwatering.

Marguerite said...

Dzoli- I agree that seafood gumbo is the best! It was a blast. Thanks for stopping by!

rosaria- So good to hear from you, cher! Glad you like it and hope you try it. You're welcome!

Kara- Thanks so much for your sweet comment and for the award! It was a lot of fun and you're welcome!

Cloudia- Thanks, so glad you enjoy it! One of these days, you'll have to come on down here and party with us. :)

Gypsy- Thanks for the nice compliment, cher! So glad you like the gumbo and hope you give it a try.

Pat- Thanks, it was, and that was some good eating, for sure! Thanks for stopping by!

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TanyasTreasureTrove said...

Hmmm Gumbo!

Hi! Just returning the
follow!:0)

Kara said...

Thanks for checking out my wire angels today. I popped over to check out your blog and all i can say is YUM. I am a new follower and am definitely going to try some of these Cajun recipes.

hidden art of homemaking said...

wonderful post....your gumbo looks so good..wish I was sitting at your table. :-) I hope your weekend is wonderful...Mona

Honey at 2805 said...

The gumbo cook off sounds terrific. Must have been a lot of fun!

Thanks for linking your recipe to Potpourri Friday!

Debbie @ Easy Natural Food said...

This sounds (and looks!) really tasty. I've never tried making gumbo before, should give it a go! I'm hosting a weekly blog carnival specifically for soups, stocks and chowders, every Sunday. I would love it if you would come over and post this recipe. Here's a link with more info.

http://easynaturalfood.com/2011/10/17/introducing-sunday-night-soup-night/

I hope to see you there!
Debbie

Pooch Purple Reign said...

yeeahh i picked a good day to be back ! every time i read your blog i remember my time there and OH the food. fantastic.
gumbo fest would be a blast !
~laura xx

Miz Helen said...

Hi Marguerite,
Wow, what a fun cook off with all that wonderful food, fun folks, and great music wishing I was there. Making your great Gumbo recipe in the pot, I will be just as happy. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great week end and come back soon!
Miz Helen

Casey said...

I enjoyed your photos, video and the recipe. Thanks for making my visit so pleasant. (I am humming.)

Debbie @ Easy Natural Food said...

Hi Marguerite, thanks so much for coming over to Sunday Night Soup Night and sharing your recipe. I'll be hosting weekly through fall and winter, so I'd love to see you again with your next soup/stock/chowder recipe!

Jessica | Cajunlicious said...

It is definitely Gumbo time, Yum!