From the Kitchen and Campfires of Tom and Ann Rothe

 

Snow Goose and Sausage Gumbo 


2 lbs. caribou (or reindeer) sausage
3 snow geese (travesty to use white-front)

Birds & Sausage. Steam whole birds, frozen or thawed, about 1-2 hours until tender. Peel off and discard skin and fat. Strip the meat off bones and set aside. Save carcasses. Slice sausage and brown to remove fat. Drain and set aside.

1 gallon water
1 bay leaf
1 small onion
2 teasp salt
1 sprig parsley
2 or 3 peppercorns
2 stalks celery

Goose Stock. Oven-roast goose carcasses until dark brown. Place in water. Add vegetables, bay leaf, salt and peppercorns. A small amount of Kitchen Bouquet may be substituted for parsley and celery. Simmer about an hour, uncovered. Strain out bones and skim off fat. Prepare the roux as the stock finishes.

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teasp salt
1 cup flour
3/4 teasp black pepper
1 large onion, chopped
3/4 teasp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup celery, chopped
3/4 teasp chili powder
1 TBS gumbo filé

Roux. Heat oil in the pan, but not hot enough to smoke. Add flour gradually, whisking constantly and adjusting heat to a controlled "burn" (If black flecks appear in the roux, you've burned the flour and must start over.) As soon as roux reaches desired red or dark brown color, remove from heat and blend in the chopped vegetables and spices, stirring constantly until the roux stops cooking. Slowly add about 1 cup hot stock to the roux, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth like thick gravy.

Gradually whisk the roux into the hot stock pot. Add goose meat and sausage. Simmer for one hour. Remove from heat and skim excess fat. Mix gumbo filé with 2 cup cold water or cooled stock. Immediately stir the filé mixture into pot and stir constantly until thickened. Serve over rice. Red wine is mandatory.

Adapted from several traditional Louisiana gumbo recipes, and Alaska experience.

taste tested and approved 1/27/98 by rfr

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