Let’s start with a big, fat hug, you guys.
And a thank you. For voting me Madison Magazine’s Best of Madison Local Food Blog for the second year in a row. I have so many warm fuzzies happening right now.
This blog is my place to tell my story. I don’t think of myself as a beautiful butterfly with anything interesting to say. But you guys are coming back and reading. Or maybe you’re not reading and just getting to the food. Is it the food? The photos? The witty banter? I don’t know, but thank you for coming.
To celebrate winning Best of Madison, I made gumbo. Who am I kidding these two things have nothing to do with each other. They just happened to coincide.
I wish I was better at planning—at giving you a decadent dessert recipe the week before Valentine’s day or for knowing that the Super Bowl was happening and showing you trendy appetizers that would be a hit at your party. But let’s be honest, that’s not how Things I Made Today works. I make rainbows out of beets and dumplings out of cherries.
It’s just me (hi!), a Nikon camera, a Macbook Pro, and a very messy kitchen. Jason and Theo make appearances. I overshare. We eat.
Last night, we ate gumbo, and after we finished dinner I grabbed the laptop to write this.
All I have to say is how grateful I am. Thanks for voting for me. You guys really know how to make a girl blush.
- 1½ cups white rice, dry
- 2 tablespoons + ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- 3 chicken thighs
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced ½ inch thick on the diagonal
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups water
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha
- 4 scallions, chopped
- Cook rice according to package instructions. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Season chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper and add to Dutch oven. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through. Transfer to plate and set aside. Once cooled, shred with two forks.
- Add ¼ cup olive oil to Dutch oven. Add sausage and cook until nicely browned on both sides, about 4-6 minutes. Transfer sausage to plate.
- To the oil, whisk in flour to make roux. Keep stirring for about 3-4 minutes, until roux browns and smells nutty. If it seems too dry add a little bit more olive oil.
- Stir in onion, garlic, carrots, and celery. Mix to coat and cook until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, water, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cover for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in sausage, chicken, and Sriracha and cook for an additional hour.
- Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Serve gumbo over rice topped with scallions.
I am mid-recipe and it looks great, but it doesn’t say when to add the chicken and sausage back into the mix. Or did you just throw them on top at the end? Thanks!
writes Mike2assumes
writes 2unfaithful