Written by: Roscoe |  Print this post and share it with your buddies!

BIGGER THAN CHRISTMAS? MAYBE SO
Quite possibly the greatest event of the year for guys, good food is a must. Mandatory. No question about it. And even though more pizza is sold and delivered on this day than any other, Roscoe believes in cooking up something special for this holy day. Even if it’s a pot of chili and sandwiches, or chili and hot dogs, or chili and wings, or chili and… okay, you’ve got the picture by now: chili is probably the first choice for guys who want to cook for Super Bowl parties throughout the universe (yes, I mean the universe; think they’re not watching the Super Bowl and cooking chili in outer space? On other planets? You bet your blender they are!) And of course, there’s nothing wrong with chili, just like there’s nothing wrong with pizza. Roscoe considers them each as major food groups. But…

ROSCOE TAKES IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL
And so should you. There is another major food group to consider for your Super Bowl get together. The only reason it doesn’t get the gas that pizza and chili get for Super Bowl is that a lot of guys are afraid to try cooking it themselves. Granted, it seems a little intimidating. But know this: there is No fear in cooking! Not when you’re Cookin’ With Roscoe. So get ready, because for this Super Bowl, it’s time to make…

GUMBO
Another of the major food groups on this planet (and soon to be on others, if they can get Cookinwithroscoe.com on the internet in outer space). And it’s not that hard to make? If you can make chili, you can make gumbo. Once you master the roux (yes, it’s even hard to spell), you’re home free, guaranteed. Roscoe has three simple rules that enable you to do that:
1) Medium heat.
2) Constant stirring.
3) Have the rest of your ingredients ready when the roux is done (which means, simply: chop everything ahead of time).
Any of that sound difficult? It shouldn’t, because it’s not. And don’t wory about cooking on Super Bowl Sunday, because you’re going to make the gumbo the day before. Actually, it’s best to start two days before, because you’re going to make your own broth. It’s all easy.
Roscoe’s note: You might think starting two days ahead of time is a little ridiculous, maybe even tedius. But think about this: you cook for Thanksgiving and you’re wrestling with that turkey for a week, what with the thawing or the brining or just the mental anquish of preparing that whole meal. And Super Bowl Sunday is a far more important holidy than Thanksgiving, is it not? So two days is nothing.

CHICKEN THIGHS
The dark meat is best in gumgo, gives it a rich, silky tasting broth that the white meat can’t match. Get a big package of thighs, put them in a big pot, fill the pot with water.
Roscoe’s note: Though we don’t cook with water, we do fill pots with it on occasion. You’ll see: it doesn’t stay water very long.
Drop a few chicken bouillon cubes in there, then season it all with salt, pepper, paprika, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and any other spice you like. Bring it all to a boil, and as soon as it starts boiling, shut off the heat, cover, and let it sit for an hour. Then put the whole pot in the fridge. The next day, scrape off the fat from the top, take the skin off the chicken, chop the chicken up (rough chop, it will shred while cooking), put it in a bowl, and set aside. Now you’ve got chicken, and your own delicious broth, and you’re ready to start for real.

CHOP AHEAD OF TIME
Red onion
Green onion
Red pepper
Celery – a couple stalks
Garlic (lots)
Kielbasa (or other sausage) – 2 links
Put it all in one bowl and set aside.? (Sausage in its own bowl)

IT ALL STARTS WITH THE ROUX
Get out your big pot, put it on the stove over MEDIUM HEAT.
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup flour
In actuality, this doesn’t have to be exact.? As long as they’re equal amounts, and close, you’ll be fine.

A TWO BEER ROUX
You’ve probably heard that before, and it’s true. The time it takes to drink two beers is the time it takes to make the roux for this gumbo. So get out a beer, make sure you’ve got another one handy in the fridge, and you’re ready to start.
?Put the oil and the flour in the hot pot and start stirring. Cookin’ With Roscoe chefs have found that a straight edged stirring implement like a wooden spatula is the best way to stir roux. A slow stir works best. If you’ve got to move away for a second or two, it’s okay, but get back quickly, or the roux may burn. In other words, just stand there and stir. That’s why you’ve got the beers, buddy! To make the whole process enjoyable.

ROUX CHANGES COLOR
After a few minutes of stirring (and drinking), the roux will start to get darker. You want a chocolate colored roux. It takes about forty minutes, give or take.

TWO BEERS LATER
The roux is ready now (pretty easy, yes?), so dump your veggies right in, stir it all up, get everything coated wth the roux. Season with the same stuff you used for the stock. If you want to add any favorites, like garlic sauce or cayenne, now is the time to do it. Cook those veggies and spices until they’re medium soft, then…

KIELBASA TIME
Add the kielbasa to the mixture, stir it up. After a few minutes…

ADD STOCK
That great stuff you made last night goes right in over the veggies, about 3/4 way up the pot. Mix it all and bring to a boil, then turn it down to simmer and ADD THE CHICKEN.

ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY
Take the pot out of the fridge a couple hours before your guests arrive, put it on LOW heat, start warming it up, stirring at regular intervals (you won’t be able to resist anyway).

READY TO SERVE
Turn the heat up about a half hour before you want to serve it, and if you’re adding shrimp or other seafood (mussels, clams), do it now. The seafood will cook quickly. As soon as any shells open, it’s ready. You’ll see that the chicken has shredded nicely, and you’ve got one great pot of gumbo. Wasn’t hard, was it?

SERVE WITH RICE
White rice, brown rice, any rice is good with gumbo. In fact, it doesn’t even have to cooked perfectly, which was proven once when Roscoe made a mistake and ended up with…

THE LEGEND OF THE RICE PASTE
This is a true story and Roscoe doesn’t mind telling it here. The first time he ever made gumbo – for a scotch tasting – he made some rice to go with it. Being a novice to rice cooking, he was nervous. Even then (early in his cookng career), he wouldn’t cook with water. He cooked the rice in chicken stock, but left it on too long. It looked like mush. He thought it was ruined, so he set it aside and made more rice, which turned out okay. However, unbeknownst to Roscoe, one of the guys wandered into the kitchen and spooned some of the ruined rice into his second helping of gumbo. He came out raving that it was better than the (supposedly) good rice! The other guys tried it, all concurred: the rice paste was great! Unfortunately, no one has ever been able to successfully recreate it. But we keep trying.

CRUSTY BREAD
Don’t forget the bread. A good garlic peppercorn loaf, or any hearty bread, makes gumbo a full meal in itself.
Not that there’s anything wrong with chili.

INGREDIENTS
Chicken thighs
2-3 chicken bouillon cubes
water (momentary)
red onion
green onion red pepper
celery – 2 stalks
garlic
kielbasa – 2 links
Bread

LET IT ALL COOK
Now the flavors will start to meld, and your kitchen will start smelling good. Stir occasionally for a few hours. Taste it, season some more if you think it needs anything (it probably won’t), then turn it off and let it set a while, covered. When it’s slightly cooled, put the whole pot in the fridge and drink some more beer.