Photo by Steve Adams/"Room in the Bowl"

One of the keys to gumbo is roux, the mix of fat and flour cooked and stirred until it turns the required shade of brown.

Roux is used in many recipes, not just gumbo. Some call for roux that’s light tan, cooked just until the flour loses its raw flavor. Other recipes require medium-brown roux. And then there’s this gumbo, an authentic recipe adapted from Cooking up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found From the Times-Picayune of New Orleans (Chronicle Books, 2008). Pull a stool up to the stove and turn on some music to keep you company, because you’ll be stirring for half an hour, until the roux is dark brown. The trade-off to spending all that time is incredible flavor, so don’t stint on the stirring.

If you’d like to know more about gumbo, check out another book, Room in the Bowl ($34.95), a new 132-page paperback loaded with pictures and short stories about gumbo. The book was a project of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Proceeds benefit The Southern Food & Beverage Museum and The Culinary Trust.

“Room in the Bowl” and “Cooking Up a Storm” can be ordered at the The Southern Food & Beverage Museum’s website, southernfood.org.

CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE GUMBO
Yield: 8 servings

1 (4- to 5-pound) stewing chicken, cut into serving pieces
Salt
Ground red (cayenne) pepper
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 1/2 quarts chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Hot cooked rice, for serving

1. Season chicken generously with salt and cayenne. Set aside.
2. In a large Dutch oven, make a roux by combining the oil and flour over medium heat. Stirring constantly, cook for about 30 minutes or until the roux is dark brown. Add onion, bell pepper and celery; cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are very soft.
3. Add broth and stir to blend well. Add chicken, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 2 to 3 hours or until the chicken is fork-tender. Add andouille and cook for 30 minutes.
4. Adjust the seasonings and stir in green onions and parsley. Remove bay leaves. Serve immediately over rice.

Per serving (without rice): 724 calories; 56g fat (70 percent calories from fat); 13g saturated fat; 109mg cholesterol; 37g protein; 18g carbohydrate; 3g sugar; 1.5g fiber; 819mg sodium; 32mg calcium; 304mg potassium.

Adapted from Cooking up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found From the Times-Picayune of New Orleans, edited by Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker (Chronicle Books, 2008).