336. CHICKEN, OKRA, and BACON GUMBO

3 1/2 lb frying chicken
1 lb young Okra pods
10 oz corn kernels
1 lb smoked sausage
8 slices bacon
16 oz can tomato puree
4 cloves garlic
4 large tomatoes
3 large onions
2 green bell peppers
2 stalks of celery with leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme

Top and tail the Okra pods, ie cut off the ends. Cut the pods into approximately 1/4 inch rounds. Slice the sausage into 1/4 inch rounds. Chop the bacon finely. Mince the garlic.

Pop the tomatoes into boiling water for 30 seconds, remove, peel and chop.

Peel the onions and chop 2 onions coarsely. Cut the remaining onion into quarters. Seed the bell pepper and chop coarsely.

Cut the leaves from the celery and place to one side, chop the celery stalks.

Place the chicken, the celery leaves, the quartered onion and salt into a Dutch oven, with sufficient water to cover the solid ingredients. Bring to the boil, cover with lid and reduce the heat. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes, until the chicken is tender to a fork.

Remove the chicken, reserve the broth after discarding the onion quarters and celery leaves.

Skin and debone the chicken. Cut into small, bite sized pieces. Reserve.

Cook the bacon and sausage in the Dutch oven, over medium heat, until the bacon becomes very crispy. Remove the bacon and sausage from the Dutch oven, but leave one to two tablespoons of bacon/sausage dripping in the oven. Crumble the bacon and set aside with the sausage.

Add the chopped onion, green pepper, celery and minced garlic to the dripping in the Dutch oven and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the vegetables become tender.

Add the chicken, reserved broth, bacon, sausage, tomatoes, tomato puree, okra, corn and thyme to the Dutch oven. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for approximately 90 minutes.


courtesy of: Michael Tracey's Afri Chef, African Recipes: Cooking Real Food From Africa