Main Dish
Wine Country Winter Gumbo W/ Smoked Caggiano Duck Sausage, Roasted Pumpkin & Wild Rice
Ridge Lytton Springs
650 Lytton Springs Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448
ridgewine.com
- RECIPE YEAR: 2024
- RECIPE BY: Bay City Catering
- YIELD: Serves 8
- PAIRS WELL WITH: Lytton Springs
This hearty Winter Gumbo brings the flavors of wine country to your table with smoked Caggiano duck sausage, roasted pumpkin, and nutty wild rice. The warm spices combine beautifully, creating a rich broth that warms you from the inside out. This dish is a celebration of seasonal ingredients and comforting flavors that pair beautifully with any Ridge Zinfandel.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole Chicken (about 2 pounds cooked meat)
- 6 Bay Leaves
- 1 pound Caggiano Smoked Duck (or any good quality sausage) sliced into 1/8 inch thick rounds
- 2 large Onions coarsely chopped
- 1 medium head Celery coarsely chopped including leaves
- 1 large Green Bell Pepper
- 3/4 cup Vegetable Oil or Bacon Grease
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 8 cups Chicken Stock (heated)
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Dried Thyme
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried Sage
- 1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons File' powder
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 cups Finely Chopped Green Onions
- 1/2 cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
- 1 quart Cooked Wild Rice
- 4 cups Cubed & Roasted Butternut Squash
- 2-3 tablespoons Hot Sauce
Directions:
Method:
Directions:
• Place whole chicken in a large stock pot. Cover with water, add 2 bay leaves, and boil chicken until tender. Remove from broth and cool. • Remove and discard chicken skin and bones. Chop chicken into large bite-size pieces. Set aside. • Heat a cast iron or heavy skillet and cook sausage over medium heat until browned. Drain on paper towels. • Place chopped onions, bell peppers, and celery including leaves, in separate bowls. Set aside. • To make the roux, heat vegetable oil or bacon grease in a 10-quart heavy stock pot over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, gradually add flour, whisking continuously. Continue to whisk roux, adjusting heat as necessary to keep from burning. This may take 25 to 35 minutes or until your arm feels like it is about to fall off and the roux is a dark mahogany color. Be careful; if the roux burns, you will have to start all over again! • Carefully add chopped onions to roux and continue stirring with a large wooden spoon for 2 to 3 minutes. Onions will sizzle and steam when they hit the hot roux, so caution is advised. Seasoned gumbo cooks have real battle scars on one or both arms. • Add bell peppers and continue stirring for another 2 to 3 minutes; add celery continuing to stir constantly for another 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture should now resemble a pot of black beans. • Add chicken and sausage and stir well. • Slowly add heated stock and stir well. • Add salt, black pepper, thyme, 4 bay leaves, oregano, sage, Creole seasoning, File' powder and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well. Bring gumbo to a boil and continue boiling for five minutes. Reduce heat to maintain a slow simmer, uncovered, for about one hour or an entire day. If gumbo gets too thick, add a little water. If it is too thin, continue to simmer uncovered. • Skim off any excess oil that rises to the top. • At this point, you can cool the gumbo. It’s always better the day after it has been cooked. • Remove from heat and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then place pot, uncovered in an empty sink. Fill the sink with water and ice around the stock pot. Stir gumbo every 15 minutes to move the liquid around to facilitate cooling. • When completely cool, refrigerate it, uncovered for a couple of hours before placing it in an airtight container. • Reheat gumbo slowly to simmering. 30 minutes before serving, add Cooked Wild Rice & Butternut Squash, green onions and parsley. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. • Serve
