Chicken and prawn gumbo

My gumbo is inspired by several versions I had in New Orleans, in

particular the one at Dooky Chase, which is run by 94-year-old local
legend Leah Chase. Among her many achievements, she fed, quite literally,
the 1960s civil rights movement, as well as a couple of presidents. I’ve
replaced the andouille and tasso, which are hard to get in the UK, with
smoked pork belly or bacon; add smoked sausage, if you like, or any other
smoked pork product. Serves six.

4 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in

Salt and black pepper
60ml vegetable oil
70g plain flour
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
2 green peppers, deseeded and finely diced
2 celery sticks, finely diced
1½ tbsp Cajun spice blend (make your own or buy ready-made)
300g peeled raw prawns
1 litre chicken stock
2 tbsp tomato paste
200g smoked pork belly (or smoky bacon), cut into 2cm pieces
200g cooked basmati rice (ie, made from about 80g uncooked
rice)

Season the chicken with a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of

black pepper. On a medium flame, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large, heavy-
based pan for which you have a lid, lay in the chicken thighs skin-side down
and fry for four to five minutes, until golden brown. Turn the thighs, cover
the pan, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, checking once
or twice that the chicken isn’t sticking or burning (there should be enough
fat in the pan for this not to happen). Transfer the chicken to a plate,
leaving the fat in the pan (you should have about two tablespoons).

Add another three tablespoons of oil to the pan and warm gently on a
medium heat. Add the flour, whisk to a smooth paste, then cook, whisking
often, for 15-20 minutes, until the roux turns into a dark chocolate-
coloured paste. Add the garlic, onion, peppers, celery and spice blend, and
cook for five minutes, stirring often. Roughly chop five prawns, add to the
pan and cook for five minutes, then pour in the stock, 350ml water and the
tomato paste. Stir in the smoked pork and a teaspoon of salt, then leave the
gumbo to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes more. Meanwhile,
remove the skin from the chicken thighs and tear the flesh off the bones in
rough 4-5cm chunks.
Once the gumbo has simmered for 20 minutes, stir in the chicken, cook for
10 minutes more, then add the remaining prawns and cooked rice. Check
the seasoning, simmer for a final three minutes, until the prawns are just
cooked, and serve hot.