A Gumbo Success Story (and why everyone should have red hot chili peppers)

In April, I wrote about my first attempt at making Gumbo here in Koper. It did not turn out the way I hoped!

Now, we have a wonderful red hot chili pepper plant that is helping our food taste better! Get one! These little guys are very spicy and add a great kick to all our food!!!

 (almost ripe....)

This time, I had a better supply of ingredients to experiment with and came up with a much better version! I know there are a lot of great recipes online from native Cajuns.... but this is a recipe based on things I always have in my pantry, so maybe it's a bit more accessible for those of us who aren't from the Bayou.

Easy Gumbo

- Rice
- Sausage and shredded chicken

- 3 small red peppers

- 1/2 can tomatoes
- Oil, flour, milk, beef bouillon cube, vegetable bouillon cube
- Spices: onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, chili powder, tabasco, Tony's (to your taste)

1. In a pot, make a roux (paste) with oil and flour. In another pot, boil your water and add the rice.

2. Add onion, garlic, salt pepper, Tony's and continue stirring. Add milk (less than 1/4 of a cup), water, beef bouillon cube, vegetable bouillon cube, tomatoes, peppers, and 2-3 dashes of Tabasco sauce.

3. Add the meat to the spicy mix, then add the rice. Boil all together until it is as thick as you prefer (around 30 minutes). (or if you prefer, you can keep the rice and gumbo separate until serving.) 

Serve with some fresh cornbread  and you have a great meal!

Sauce to the left, rice to the right.... mix them together and there you go!