Total recipe yield: 8 servings
Vegan: No
LO Vegetarian: No
Contains Pork: No
Contains Alcohol: No

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup peanut oil
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 2 cups chopped onions
  • 1/2 cups chopped bell peppers
  • 1/2 cups chopped celery
  • 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 teaspoon rustic rub (see below)
  • 1/2 lb andouille sausage chopped
  • Lots of leftover turkey
  • 2 quarts turkey broth (see below)
  • Lots of chopped parsley & green onions

Rustic Rub:

  • 8 tbls paprika
  • 3 tbls cayenne
  • 5 tbls fresh black pepper
  • 6 tbls garlic powder
  • 3 tbls onion powder
  • 6 tbls salt
  • 2 1/2 tbls dried oregano
  • 2 1/2 tbls dried thyme

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl & blend well. Store in a mason jar for up to 3 months.

Turkey Broth:

  • 1 turkey carcass
  • 3 ribs celery, cut in 4 inch pieces
  • 2 medium onions, quartered
  • 4 quarts water or enough to cover carcass
  • 2 tsps salt
  • 1 tbls black peppercorns
  • 4 bay leaves

Place turkey carcass in a large stockpot & add celery, onions, water, salt, peppercorns and bay leaves. Bring to boil, reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 2 hours. Skim any fat and strain through a sieve. Use immediately or freeze in quart containers.

Directions

One of our Thanksgiving traditions is to make a huge pot of turkey bone gumbo the day after Thanksgiving. We take the left over carcass(es) and make a turkey broth and use the leftover turkey. Classically, a gumbo is a spicy, thick soup composed of poultry, meat, shellfish, fish and vegetables in any of a great variety of combinations. This turkey bone gumbo is our favorite.
Combine oil and flour in a large cast-iron pot over medium heat. Stir slowly and constantly for 30 to 40 minutes to make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate. It’s a labor of love, you can’t leave it or allow it to burn or break, so I always have on hand a bar of chocolate (just for color check ; ) ) and a glass (or two) of Pinot!

Season the onions, bell peppers and celery with the salt and cayenne. Add to the roux and stir until soft, about 5 minutes. The roux is hot so be aware that the mixture will bubble up and also make sure that you get all the roux incorporated from the bottom of the pot. Season the sausage with the rustic rub and add to the pot, cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Slowly add the turkey broth which has been heated in a pot nearby. Incorporate each addition, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and simmer for one hour. We like to refrigerate the gumbo overnight and eat the next day. When you heat it up, add the leftover turkey meat until it’s heated through. (If you need to augment with more turkey you can buy turkey breast, chop up and cook through.)

Pour turkey gumbo over rice in big soup bowls and sprinkle with chopped parsley and green onions.