Rabbit and Deer Sausage Gumbo

For our international readers, gumbo is a soup or stew that originated in Southern Louisiana during the 18th century. According to good ol' Wikipedia, gumbo borrows from several culinary traditions, including French, Spanish, German, West African and Choctaw. Today, gumbo is as integral to Louisiana as fried chicken is to the Southern way of life.

Gumbo over white rice.

Rick and I have never had a chance to visit Louisiana, but perhaps there's a reason why gumbo is supposed to characterize its state so well. Through all the different recipes and versions of gumbo we've eaten, a few things are consistent. It's warm, playful, vibrant, down home and hearty-- we like to imagine the people of Louisiana to be this way. 

For our gumbo, we decided to mix things up a bit-- "hunter-fy" it. It's got all that great cajun taste you know and love, but with rabbit and venison sausage. Serve over rice or mix in some couscous. It's mmmm-mmmmm goood!

We'd also like to thank Camp Chef for providing us with their 7 Qt Seasoned Cast Iron Pot Set to make this recipe.  We highly recommend this pot. It includes a basket for frying and steaming as well. You can buy the set here. 

Servings: 6-8
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 hours
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/8 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1/8 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 small carrot, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup of celery, diced
- 1/2 cup green/red bell pepper (we used both from leftovers we had on hand)
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
- kosher salt, to taste
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 rabbit
- 1/2 lb. venison sausage, sliced (use your favorite)
- 6 ounces of andouille sausage, diced
- 4 scallions, white and light green parts chopped
- cooked white rice or couscous (optional)

1. In a large pot, bring 10 cups of water and 1/2 cup of chicken broth to a boil. 

2. Meanwhile, combine all-purpose and whole-wheat flour in a bowl.  

To make the roux, heat canola oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until hot, approx. 5 minutes. Whisk in flour.

Whisk flour constantly until the roux turns dark brown, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. 

Then, stir in finely chopped onion. Set aside. 

3. When water and broth boils, add diced onion, carrot, celery and bell pepper. Cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes. 

Next, stir in the roux in 3 batches. Cook, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. 

4. Remove any silver skin from rabbit. 

To make your life easier, chop rabbit into sections. Then remove as much meat as you can from the bones, reserving the bones. Cut the meat into 1 inch pieces. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator. 

After 30 minutes, add the rabbit bones, sliced venison sausage and diced andouille sausage to the pot. Stir in cayenne, garlic powder, coriander, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Start out with 1-2 tsp. of salt. Keep in mind that the mixture will reduce greatly. It's better to start out with less salt than more. You can always add more later. 

We recommend Chef Bruce Aidells' andouille sausages. They're delicious! 

5. After 1 hour, fish out the rabbit bones. 

With a fork, scrape off as much meat as you can. By this time, it should fall right off. Watch for little, broken bones. 

Return the pulled rabbit meat to the pot. Return the gumbo mixture to a boil, then add the reserved rabbit meat from the fridge. Cook for 30 minutes, or until gumbo reaches desired thickness. 

Adjust seasoning. Stir in chopped scallion. Serve over rice or couscous. 

This is a stick to your ribs kind of meal, for sure.