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On the show today… we talk reality TV, a gumbo-cooking priest, and we talk food and faith with Miss Kay Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame. All this and more on The Catholic Foodie Show… where food meets faith!
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Fr. Mike Werkhoven… a Gumbo-cooking Priest
I was so tickled last week to see my friend Fr. Mike Werkhoven’s Facebook post. Fr. Mike and I went to seminary together many years ago. He is a priest in the Diocese of Memphis, and he is a foodie. He loves to cook and he appreciates good food. He also happens to have a love for south Louisiana cooking. Check out his post on gumbo from last week and you’ll see why I was tickled. Just wish I could have been there cooking with him. Sounds like a great gumbo!
Spent my day off doing one of those things that makes me the happiest… cooking Cajun. Making an enormous amount of Sausage and Chicken Gumbo for SEARCH Training this weekend. I’m gonna name this: “6’s Have It Gumbo” cause everything seemed to fall in sixes.
1st you make a ROUX! I use 6 cups. 3 cups of flour, 1 1/2 cup of oil, 1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, and 1 cup of duck fat. melt, mix, and stir for about 20-25 minutes until you get a good “milk chocolate” roux.
Add in your TRINITY! 6 large chopped sweet onions, 6 chopped green bell peppers, and 6 chopped stalks of celery. Stir until all the veggies are covered with the dark goodness.
Add in SMOKED SAUSAGE! I added 6 lbs. of mixed goodness, all sliced up into small discs: 2 packages of Richard’s Andouille, 2 packages of Richard’s Smoked Sausage, and 2 packages of Smoked Kielbasa.
Add your SEASONING! This is to taste, but just to be consistent: 6 Bay Leaves, 6 teaspoons of ground Cayenne, and 6 tablespoons of salt.
Add in your STOCK! Of course, it is 6 quarts of Chicken Stock, and stir until the roux and stock are well mixed and smooth. Bring to a boil.
While the gumbo is coming to a boil, take 6 chicken breasts, and rub them down with seasoning: Cayenne, Black Pepper, White Pepper, Salt, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Paprika, Oregano and Thyme.
Add the CHICKEN! Let the chicken breast sit and take in all the spicy goodness until the gumbo comes to a rolling boil, then turn down the heat, and slice up the chicken and add it to the gumbo. Simmer until the chicken is white and starting to fall apart.
Because I’m making so much Gumbo for so many, I made another roux, this time darker, and added in chopped red & yellow peppers as well as OKRA. I squeeze the little seeds out of the okra and chopped it up so its not so slimy. It still thickens the gumbo a little, but so does the roux and the FILE.
So I add more chicken stock to this roux, and the GUMBO FILE (ground sassafras) and then add it to the gumbo and stir. Now, I got the color and consistency I want!
Now… let it REST! GUMBO always tastes better the next day (or many days later if there is any left over) so put the whole pot in the fridge, and on the day you serve, let it slowly heat up and cook for a long time, adding chopped parsley and chopped green onions that day.
Serve over a scoop of good sticky long grain white rice and top with diced green onions and your choice of heat (Tony’s, Louisiana Hot Sauce, or Tabasco) and enjoy the heat on these wonderful winter days… MARDI GRAS is only a few weeks away!
Reality TV?
I don’t believe in reality TV. I mean, not really. How real can you be with a camera crew in your face? This is one of the main reasons that I have never really gotten into the reality TV craze. However, I do enjoy Duck Dynasty. One of the things I like about the show is that it is not scripted. The Robertsons are themselves. They don’t have writers telling them what to say. But just because the show is not scripted, it doesn’t mean that it is not staged. There’s a difference. Setting up situations for the Robertsons to be themselves in is still sorta real, right? Well, one thing I know for sure… it’s entertaining.
Miss Kay Robertson from Duck Dynasty
It was such a pleasure to interview Miss Kay for the Around the Table radio show. I include that interview on today’s edition of The Catholic Foodie Show. Both food and faith play a big role in the Duck Dynasty phenomenon, and Miss Kay – and her table – is the glue that holds the family together.
Listen to the show and hear Miss Kay talk about the food and faith of Duck Dynasty. She’ll even given you her recipe for quick biscuits!
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