EVERYTHING GUMBO

Everything Gumbo image

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 24

1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika or sweet paprika, a palmful
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander, half a palmful
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, half a palmful
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, half a palmful
A few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped
2 fresh bay leaves
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper or 2 small, chopped
2 red or green chiles, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped or sliced
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut into large pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup flour, plus more for dredging
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup peanut or vegetable oil
1 pound andouille sausage
1 (15-ounce) can stewed tomatoes or diced tomatoes with chiles
1 (12-ounce) bottle beer
6 cups chicken stock
12 ounces lump crabmeat or shrimp, peeled and deveined*
*Cook's Note: If serving later in work-week, pick up seafood fresh, if serving on cook-night or as second night's meal pick up crab or shrimp with your big-shop.
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped
1 teaspoons hot sauce
Serving suggestion: Scallion rice.

Steps:

In bowl, mix the paprika, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, thyme, and bay leaves. Reserve the seasoning blend.
Chop and reserve the Trinity-Plus-Two mix of onion, peppers, celery, and garlic.
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Add about 2 tablespoons oil and when hot, add chicken pieces, turning occasionally. When browned, remove to a plate. Remove the casings from sausage and slice on an angle in large chunks. Brown the andouille in a drizzle of oil and remove to plate. Pour off the fat, then add the remaining 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup flour, whisk constantly until medium-golden brown in color. Cook's Note: think peanut butter.
Add the vegetables and seasoning blend to the pot, salt, and pepper and stir 6 to 8 minutes, to soften the vegetables a bit. Add the tomatoes and beer to the pot and reduce beer by half, 2 minutes. Add the stock, chicken, and andouille back to the pot, simmer to combine the flavors, then cool completely and store for a make-ahead meal.
To reheat the gumbo: Place the gumbo in a covered pot over medium heat, stir in the crab or shrimp and heat through or cook shrimp, until pink and firm. Top with scallions and serve with scallion rice, if desired.