Gumbo for the Masses

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

Whew. Last Thursday was a busy day at EECM. We had the Volunteer Celebration and our visit by Bill "The Sauce Boss" Wharton. Let me set the scene for you for the latter event (or check out video by clicking here).

Picture a dining room packed to the gills with Soup Kitchen guests, all watching with rapt attention the antics of a middle-aged white guy in a chef's hat as he plays the steel guitar, tosses out original blues lines, and stirs a huge pot of gumbo over a giant Bunsen burner. In the background, two other musicians play bass and occasionally take a turn on a washboard vest contraption. It was pretty incredible.

So was the gumbo. The Sauce Boss asked the room if anyone had never had gumbo. I didn't even say anything, but he clearly knew a newbie when he saw one because he marched over and demanded "And what about you? Have you ever had gumbo?" I confessed my ignorance of the gumbo arts and he consoled me with a hug and a promise that I would soon see the light. And he was right -- that was some good food.

And in case you have a hankering, here's the recipe, straight from the Sauce Boss website. You can buy his special hot sauce there, too.

Gumbo ala Sauce Boss

Feeds 8-12 people

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups oil

1 chicken, cooked and de-boned

1 gallon of chicken stock

2 large onions

2 large green peppers

1/2 cup LIQUID SUMMER HOT SAUCE

1 pound smoked sausage

2 medium zucchini

1 pound okra

1 pound of shrimp

1 pint of oysters

1 pound of crawdads

Make a roux: mix 2 cups of flour into 1 1/2 cups hot oil. Cook on high, stirring constantly until brown. Add the chicken, chicken stock, onions, and green peppers. Bring to a boil, then simmer down. Add salt to taste and 1/2 cup of . . . (drum roll) BILL WHARTON'S LIQUID SUMMER HOT SAUCE.

Slice and add: 1 pound of smoked sausage, 2 medium zucchini, and 1 pound of okra. When the okra is done, bring the gumbo to a rolling boil and add shrimp, oysters, and crawdads. Cook for 3 minutes, or until shrimp are just barely cooked.

Serve over rice and splash with more Liquid Summer Hot Sauce.