(click on pics to enlarge)

I hope you see I don’t spend a lot of money on ingredients. This dish is around for the “after” turkey day and you have a carcass to boil. But, since I never cook a whole turkey and it’s me and the Little Woman, I buy a turkey thigh. I then boil the thigh making a turkey stock and then shred the meat for this dish. Instead of wine I use a cup of ale beer. This dish is a nice thick tasty gumbo served on rice.

Turkey Stock

1 turkey thigh
1 celery stalk chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 garlic clove chopped
1 TBSP peppercorns
1 tsp thyme
1 small bay leaf
Salt
2 cup water

In a large pot add all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Let cool. Remove turkey thigh, remove bone and shred meat. Strain the stock and discard the other ingredients.

Roux

4 TBSP flour
4 TBSP olive oil
1 cup chopped onion

Add oil to the 4 quart pot. Get oil hot, add flour 1 TBSP at a time and whisk.

Keep whisking until the flour begins to turn brown to the color of a dark oak.

Then toss in the onions to sauté to cool the roux a little and create the wonderful gumbo base flavor.  Whisk until the onions cook down (6 – 8 minutes).  Notice how the roux gets darker when the onions are added.

1 cup of dark ale (I use Sierra Nevada Pale Ale).  Pour in ale and mix until the beer begins to foam.

Mirepoix

½ red bell pepper, chopped
½ green bell pepper, chopped
3 scallions, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 stick of Andouille sausage (or smoked pork sausage), sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 cups of turkey stock

Add the mirepoix, sausage and garlic and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook on simmer with lid off 1 hour. The oil and the food need to break down and the stock needs to evaporate a little.

Remaining Ingredients

shredded turkey
1 TBSP fresh oregano
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1 dash Tabasco sauce

Add the remaining ingredients and cook covered 30 minutes on low heat.

Serve over rice.