Chicken and Sausage Etouffee

6 TBS oil
1/2 cup of flour
1 green pepper, cored and seeded
2 medium-sized onions, peeled
3 good-sized ribs of celery
3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
black, white, and red pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
2 cups chicken stock
3 chicken breasts
1/2 link kielbasa or andouille sausage
3 scallions

Prepare the ingredients: mince the green pepper, onion, and celery as finely as you can. Peel and mince the garlic. Cut the white and half the green part of the scallions into rounds and set aside. Heat a cast iron frying pan (or large saucepan) over a medium high heat. Add the oil and let it heat.

Add the flour and stir. Sauté the roux until it is deep dark brown, stirring constantly. Traditionally, you cook until the roux is the color of an old copper penny or chocolate sauce. This will take a while. Take care not to let it burn. If it gets too hot, lift the pan off the stove, put it on an unused burner and keep stirring. If it burns, throw out the roux and start again.

When the roux is as brown as you dare to let it get, add the green pepper, onion, and celery. Mix them thoroughly with the roux and stir. At this point, the kitchen will begin to smell Cajun and you will know you are on your way.

When the onion is no longer raw (about 5 minutes), toss in the garlic. When you can smell the garlic, add black, white, and red pepper. Start with 1/2 tsp of each and add more as you like. If you want it really hot, go for a full teaspoon of each. Add the thyme.

Add the stock and stir until it is mixed into the sauce and there are no lumps.  When all the stock is incorporated, let it simmer gentlyfor 15 minutes. Stir often enough that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Slice the chicken breasts into 3/4″ chunks. Slice the sausage into similar pieces. Add to the sauce and simmer until the chicken is done, approximately 10-15 minutes. Serve over rice, sprinkled with minced scallions.