World Series Gumbo

Perhaps my favorite food tradition is that I make Gumbo every year for the first Saturday World Series game. The timing is perfect because it feeds a crowd, is great on a cold night and we can use a lot of ingredients from our garden (okra, peppers, parsley). Last night it came out pretty well (but to quote Tony Bourdain, I didn't offer it to anyone who (1) hadn't already spent a few hours drinking free beer and (2) wasn't already my friend). All I know for sure is that the bowls were empty.

While I personally really enjoy making gumbo, it is a lot of work to do right. It is also the one dish that I make that always has some improvisation. Unlike Dad, I am drawn toward perfecting a recipe and being content with it, but for Gumbo, I am always trying something new or adjusting based on what is available.

To make this gumbo, I first roast some chicken. I used to just use chicken breasts and cut the meat into cubes, but it is much better if you roast it bone-in, let it cool completely, then shred it with your hands. Usually I just use the breasts and put the rest of the chicken in my stock. Remember to sear the outsides over high heat and finish it in the oven.

The stock needs to boil down about 35 minutes, but more would be fine. My stock has whatever chicken I did not roast (including the skin and fat I cut off), 3 quarts of prepared chicken stock (though a few times I have made my own), 1 quartered onion, some chopped carrots, a tablespoon of whole peppercorns, one teaspoon of kosher salt and a tablespoon of parsley.

While the stock is gently boiling, I make the roux. The "magic ratio" is a half cup of flour and one-third cup of vegetable oil. I put it in a large dutch oven on super low heat and stir it constantly for at least 30 minutes. The best tool is a dollar store wooden spoon with the end cut off to be flat. You really have to keep it moving the whole time and cook it super slow. I usually recruit help. If it burns (and it is easy to smell that), trust me: throw it out. Once it burns it can neither be saved nor eaten (I actually once saw a dog - a real life dog - sniff burnt gumbo and turn away).

Once the roux is brown and the stock reduced, I add 2 diced onions, 1 diced green pepper, 2 diced celery stalks and 6-8 diced jalapeno peppers to the roux. When stirred over low heat, this holy trinity and chiles will turn soft and almost paste like. Then I drain the stock through a sieve into the roux and add 2 cups of diced okra, the chicken and diced up sausage (Andouille rocks). Then, I let it simmer for as long as it takes my Jasmine rice to steam. When it's about time to eat, I add the raw shrimp and let that cook about 3 more minutes (I promise that is all it takes). Serve the gumbo over rice. I've been adding Tabasco to mine and serving it with crusty bread.

Roasted Chicken With Hot Peppers (Pollo Alla Diavola)

We had this for dinner on Tuesday night and I liked it so much I made it for just me yesterday. Since it serves two, there's a good chance last night's left-overs will be my breakfast today. I think it is that good, for several reasons beyond the great flavors.

First, it is simple. Only 10 ingredients and most of them are staples (One of Lacey's most enduring traits is how well stocked she keeps our kitchen, enabling us to put together a meal on short notice). The preparation is also "un-fussy": rub it, sear it, roast it, make the sauce, clean the plate). We love spicey food, but we are cognizant that the degree of affection for hot dishes varies among our friends and family, so I like that all the heat in this dish is al la carte; you can add as much or as little of the sauce as you like when your eating so everyone has it how he or she likes it. It also is done in stages, so when dinner it served, the motivated can have the kitchen pretty much cleaned up. Finally, don't tell my kids, but this is also pretty healthy.

To put this together, star by mixing the rub in small bowl. It consist of 3 Tbs of olive oil, 1 tsp of course or kosher salt, the leaves from 6 sprigs of fresh thyme (still growing in our garden, but not for long), freshly cracked pepper and red pepper flakes (both to taste). Once whisked together, rub it all over 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. It is probably a little better to do this the night before, but that is certainly not essential.

Ideally, you will want to let the chicken rest out of the refrigerator for about an hour before you begin to cook, so it cooks evenly (although again, this is not essential). When you're ready, you'll need an oven proof skillet (meaning without a plastic or rubber handle) with deep sides (as you make the sauce in this pan at the end). Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and drizzle some olive oil in the pan. It is important to crank up the heat BEFORE you add the chicken so the oil is screaming hot when the chicken hits it. It should sizzle loudly, as we are looking for color. Start with the skin side down first, and once it is really brown (and frankly looks done, at least on the outside), flip it over and sear the other side the same way. With thick breasts, you may actually have three sides to sear, but you want a crust covering the external layer of the chicken, so it retains moisture.

Once the outside is well-seared, stick the pan in the oven for 45 minutes. During this time, mix together the sauce. This is where the secret ingredient comes in: It needs 1/2 cup of the pickling liquid from a jar of sweet cherry peppers and another 1/2 cup of the pickling liquid from a jar of hot chili peppers. I know this sounds weird and, well, it is. Please don't let that stop you from trying this. We used "Mezzetta" peppers and they are so good (but not for the faint of heart; their website is cool too). To this pickling liquid add 1 Cup of chicken stock (I don't expect you to make your own, but if you did from the rest of the chicken you self-butchered to get the breasts, I would be super impressed [Dad]). The only other thing in the sauce is 2 Tbs of tomato paste.

When the chicken comes out of the oven, remove it from the pan to rest. Then pour in your sauce and turn the heat back up. While it cooks scrape up whatever stuck to the pan (fond). When it cooks down and is somewhat thick, serve it with the chicken. I did it like a dipping sauce in a ramekin. This works great with roasted potatoes as the sauce is a natural accompaniment for them too. Toss some of the peppers on the plate for garnish. I expect this to be a regular in our rotation for a while.