Tailgate gumbo for the LSU game

  

Saturday Oliver and I invited our friends and family to join us for a tailgate party before the SEC Championship football game. Oliver spent Friday making a giant pot of gumbo to share with everyone. Two chickens, four pounds of sausage, two pounds of okra and at least a gallon of homemade chicken stock went into the dish. I think it might have been his best gumbo yet - DELICIOUS!

Whatcha eating? Louisiana gumbo!

The days may be shorter and cooler but there is one good thing about this time of year - GUMBO! Ok, not just one good thing. This time of year it's wonderful to curl up with a warm bowl any type of winter stew. Chili, butternut squash, lentil - yum!

Being married to a Louisiana man has many perks. His bone fide gumbo is one of them. Oliver used the carcass from last week's roast chicken, and several chicken backs from the freezer, to create a foundation stock for the soup. He then made a roux and added the food "trinity" (onions, bell peppers and celery). Once everything had cooked down it was combined with the stock, a freshly browned chicken and some andouille. The gumbo was left to simmer for a couple of hours in our cast iron pot.