Duck Gumbo

By LRay

Our duck gumbo has a flavor all its own. The duck complements the nice,
nutty flavor of the dark roux.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon beef base
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 3/4 cups chopped celery (1/2-inch pieces)
• 1 1/3 cups chopped onion (1/2-inch pieces)
• I cup chopped bell pepper (1/2-inch pieces)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup plus 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 2 3/4 cups duck broth (see recipe below)
• 1 Treebeards' duck (see recipe below)
• I 1/4 cups chopped fresh or frozen okra (1/2-inch pieces)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions (including tops)

Preparation

Step 1

In "a small bowl, mix salt, poultry seasoning, black pepper, cayenne
pepper, garlic powder and beef base. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix chopped celery, onion and bell pepper. Set aside.
Heat oil to 2600 to 2800 (oil will "ripple") in a heavy bottom 5-quart Dutch
oven over medium-high heat. Add flour and whisk constantiy until roux
becomes thick, has lost its reddish tinges and becomes a dark brown color.
Remove pot from heat and add vegetable mixture. Quickly stir to coat
vegetables.

Return pot to stove, add spices and stir. Add bay leaves and duck broth.
Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Add duck and okra
and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Add parsley and green onions and simmer
10 minutes.

Serve over hot rice.

Serves 6.

1 duck (approximately 3 pounds)
1 carrot, chopped into l-inch pieces
1/2 stalk celery, chopped into l-inch pieces
4 whole stems parsley
1/4 large onion, chopped into l-Inch pieces
1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/4 teaspoons ground thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large pot, place duck and cover with water. Add remammg
ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 hours or
until duck is tender. Transfer duck to a platter to cool. Refrigerate duck
broth. Discard any solidified fat from broth and strain for using in
Treebeards' Duck Gumbo.
Remove pieces of duck meat from bone and chop meat into bite-size
pieces. Use in Treebeards' Duck Gumbo.

A little trivia:
In cooking, a holy trinity is a flavor base from cooking a combination of three aromatic vegetables, herbs, or spices in butter or oil. The most notorious trinity in cooking is the Cajun Holy Trinity. It forms the flavor base of almost every Cajun and Creole dish. It consists of chopped bell pepper, onion and celery. While the Cajun Holy Trinity can vary slightly from region to region, it is an example of how essential certain ingredients are to a specific type of food.