Crab, Chicken and Andouille Gumbo with Fermented Brown Rice

For Gumbo

• 1 wild caught fresh in season crab, cleaned
• 1/2 lbs. chicken, best free range whole bird air chilled organic nonGMOs local
• 4 Andouille sausages, best local made fresh from pork not fed GMOs raised in home-stead organic type environment, with-out  hormones or drugs.
• 4 cups stock* see below
• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium bell pepper
• 1 stock celery
• Roux* see below
• 1/2 tablespoon unrefined sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme (dry)
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano (dry)
• 4 cloves garlic sliced

Crab and chicken stock.

• crab shells
• chicken bones and scraps
• filtered water
• 1-2 tablespoons Organic vinegar

Crab, shrimp and lobster shells are excellent for making sea food stock.  For this recipe I used the crab shells and also added all the bones, skin and what not form a roasted chicken but reserved back the better looking meat pieces for later.   Start by covering the shells and chicken bones and scraps with filtered cold water, and 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar.  Let them soak 1-2 hours, then bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer for at least 4 hours.  Really good stock is the difference between so so food and great food, but it often has a strong odor while cooking.  For my stock I used a large crock pot set on low over night.  In the morning I strained the broth and refrigerated it.

To make Gumbo cook down 4 cups of chicken/ crab broth to about half.  Sauté onion, bell pepper and celery in sweet butter or lard.  Brown the Andouille sausages, add along with the vegetables to the broth, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.  After 20 minutes or so remove the sausages, slice and return along with any juices that escaped out.  Add the spices, and roux.  I like to let my gumbo simmer a while, I find the flavors become more complex and intense.  Before serving bring the crab to room temp.  Bring the gumbo up to almost a boil and add the chicken.  Make a mound of rice for each serving ladle in the gumbo and top with crab.

Roux

• 1 tablespoon home-made lard or made from pork fat from an animals not fed GMOs raised in home-stead organic type environment, with-out  hormones or drugs.
• 1 tablespoon  Bob’s Red Mill organic unbromated, unbleached white flour

This is a very small amount of roux, but absolutely a must for gumbo.  To make a roux use 1 tablespoon home-made lard and 1 tablespoon Bob’s Red Mill organic unbromated, unbleached white flour.  Melt lard on high heat, then add the  flour, whisking the whole time, when it turns to a caramel color it’s done.  Be careful of the hot fat and flour, it can really burn you so bad it’s nicknamed “Cajun napalm” because it really burns if you get it on your skin.

Fermented organic brown rice

• 1/2 cup organic brown rice
• 1 1/2 cups filtered water
• pat of sweet butter
• bit of unrefined sea salt

Brown rice contains phytic acid which causes digestion problems in your gut, and prevents micro nutrients from being absorbed.  Just like with seeds, soaking rice to cause fermentation makes it much more digestible and nutritious.  Soak rice 1 part rice to 3 parts filtered water for 24 hours.  Important to save back some of the soaking water, use it in the next patch, and continue to do so, and the fermentation well get better each time, similar to the improvement in older sourdough starters.  After soaking for 24 hours bring rice and 1 cup filtered water with salt and butter to a boil.  Once it boils cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer on the lowest setting 25 minutes. Fluff turn off heat, but leave on burner covered.  Check after 10-15 minutes if not done, return to simmer, checking every 5 minutes.