Gumbo Filé

Total Time: 49 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 48 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 4 lbs stewing chicken
• 2 quarts water
• 1/2 lb ham, cubed
• 2 onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 pint oyster, juice reserved
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)
• cayenne (to taste)
• 1/2 chili pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons file powder
• 2 cups rice, cooked

Recipe

• 1 cut chicken in serving portions and simmer in salted water until tender.
• 2 remove bones and cut meat into cubes.
• 3 fry ham.
• 4 brown onions in ham fat.
• 5 combine chicken, ham, cooked onions and oyster juice; cover with boiling chicken stock.
• 6 add seasonings and chili pepper; simmer for two hours.
• 7 about ten minutes before serving moisten filé powder with a little of the soup; add to soup along with the oysters.
• 8 do not cook after adding filé.
• 9 place a mound of cooked rice in each soup dish and ladle gumbo over the top.