by Jan Birnbaum

Place chicken stock in pot twice as large as its volume. Place on back burner, bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Mix all of the spice ingredients and reserve.

Prep meats and vegetables as required in above descriptions.

Place the ham hocks in the stock to simmer.

Place half of the onions and all of the green peppers as well as the chopped garlic and bay leaves in a large flat pan to prepare for the roux making.

Season the chicken parts with the spice mix to generously cover. Dust the chicken parts in seasoned flour.

In a cast iron skillet, heat the chicken fat almost to smoking. Fry the chicken parts over high heat to crisp the outside but not cook the inside of the chicken. Drain and add to stock.

Cut the sausage. In a few drops of oil, roast the sausage at 300° F so as to render out the fat and caramelize the surface of the sausage. Remove and reserve.

In a large flat cast iron skillet, bring the chicken fat almost to smoking. Very carefully whisk in the flour. Lower the heat to medium. Whisk the flour into the roux and continue to whisk in a circular motion around the cast iron pan. The flour will move through a range of colors from hazelnut to brick red and on to dark brown. When you have reached a deep red brown color, carefully pour the hot roux over the prepared peppers, onions and spices stirring constantly until sizzling stops.

Every 5 minutes add the roux to the stock a few spoonfulls at a time. Add half of the seasoning mix. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes or until rooster is cooked and tender.

Strain back into a large pot. Saute balance of vegetables and add to stock. Pick cooked chicken. Add chicken pieces and sausage rounds.

Place gumbo in serving bowls and finish with a spoonfull of pilaf rice and sliced scallions.