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Duck: Louisiana Duck Gumbo

Source of Recipe

From "Basic to Brilliant, Y'all" by Virginia Willis


Recipe Introduction

"When I was growing up in Louisiana, my father hunted duck, and the freezer was usually filled with duck, as well as dove, quail, deer, boar, wild turkey, rabbit, and squirrel. (Don't laugh, even though Dede called squirrels 'tree rats,' they really are excellent panfried with gravy.) Gumbo is named for a West African word for okra, gombo. This flavorful stew can feature any number of main ingredients, most commonly shrimp, crab, chicken, duck, and sausage. Many of the ingredients are harvested from the Gulf, local lakes and rivers, or produced on the farm. All gumbos start with an initial browning of fat and flour, to create a roux, then are seasoned with the 'holy trinity' of bell pepper, onion, and celery. Here, I commit a bit of sacrilege. I find the taste of green bell peppers too strong and substitute poblano pepper. You can choose your own sins."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ½ cup canola oil
â—¦ ½ cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 onions, preferably Vidalia, chopped
â—¦ 2 stalks celery, chopped
â—¦ 2 poblano or green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped
â—¦ 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons Creole seasoning blend
â—¦ 2 teaspoons hot sauce, or to taste
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
â—¦ 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
â—¦ 4 cups homemade chicken stock or reduced-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
â—¦ 1 (4- to 5-pound)) duck, cut into 8 pieces, neck reserved
â—¦ Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ Hot cooked rice, for serving
â—¦ 1 tablespoon filé powder, for serving
â—¦ ¼ cup green onions, chopped, for serving


Recipe

Heat the oil in a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring occasionally, until the roux is deep chocolate in color, 30 to 45 minutes. (Alternatively, preheat the oven to 350° F. Place the oil and flour in a 5- to 6-quart cast-iron Dutch oven and whisk together to combine. Place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake uncovered, whisking 2 to 3 times, until deep chocolate, about 1 ½ hours.)

Combine the vegetables in a large bowl. Add half of the mixed vegetables to the roux. Cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the Creole seasoning, hot sauce, Worcestershire, and andouille. Stir to combine. Add the stock and whisk until smooth. Add the duck and reserved neck. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to a simmer, and cook covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

Add the remaining vegetables and simmer until the meat is falling off the bone, about 1 hour. (Adding half of the trinity later in cooking helps keep some of the vegetables more toothsome.) Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. To serve, spoon rice into warmed bowls. Ladle the gumbo over the rice and sprinkle with filé powder and green onions. Serve immediately.

Serves 6