Chicken and Sausage Gumbo by Erythrosine

four chicken leg quarters, or ten chicken thighs (with bones)
one pound of smoked sausage such as Andouille or a slightly
dried smoked sausage labeled "Cajun flavor", or any
smoked sausage
1/2 cup bacon grease, or vegetable oil, or clarified butter
[I used the fat from a 12-ounce package of bacon]
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
2 onions (preferably hot), diced
two bell peppers (one red and one green), diced
half a large bunch of celery, diced
one 32-ounce can of diced or crushed tomatoes
one pound of sliced okra, fresh or frozen (16-ounce bag)
one 16-ounce bag of frozen corn kernels
5 dried or fresh bay leaves
1.5 teaspoons dried thyme, or the fresh equivalent (grocery
store dried thyme is often moldy-smelling, so I prefer
Penzey's dried thyme)
one teaspoon salt (to taste)
1/8 teaspoon ground celery seed
one teaspoon ground cumin seed
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
one teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika

Making the broth might be most conveniently done the night before, or in the morning. Cook the chicken thighs or leg quarters in just enough water to mostly cover, with a lid on the pot, turning the chicken pieces once or twice, for about an hour. You do not need to remove the skin first. Remove the chicken pieces to a plate and allow to cool. remove the meat from the bones and put the bones, skin, and hard bits back into the broth. Cook the broth on low for another hour or longer, to extract more flavor from the skin and bones. Cool the broth and chill it so that you can easily remove the thick layer of fat from the top. Discard the bones, etc., and reserve the broth. I think I had about six cups of broth.

Then, start by making the roux. In a heavy-bottomed frying pan, over medium heat, cook flour in grease or oil, stirring constantly, until distinctly browned. Do not burn the roux; if it burns and gets black specks in it, throw it away and start again. Don't allow the roux to spatter, because it can cause bad burns on your skin.

Allow the roux to cool a little, then try tossing in a piece of diced onion. If the sizzling is not too dramatic, add the onion and celery to the roux and cook until the onion is somewhat translucent. Add the bell peppers. If you want to add a chopped seeded jalapeño, now is the time.

At this point, transfer to a soup pot or a slow cooker. Place the roux and vegetables in the slow cooker or soup pot, along with canned tomatoes, okra, and corn. Add bay leaves and thyme. Slice smoked sausage and add to the gumbo. Add reserved chicken broth and stir. Cook on the highest setting in the slow cooker, or medium heat on the stove top, until the gumbo starts to simmer (small bubbles at the edges and hot throughout). Chop the chicken into bite-sizes squares and add it to the gumbo, turn the heat to low and cook for several hours. If the low setting on your slow cooker is too high, so that it causes the gumbo to boil at the edges, turn to the "keep warm" setting instead. If the low setting on your stove is not low enough to prevent burning and sticking, then watch carefully and stir frequently, and turn the heat off for up to one hour at a time (not more than two hours off at a time). Taste the gumbo, and add salt as needed (one teaspoon was right for me), plus ground celery seed, ground cumin, red pepper flakes, and paprika (preferably smoked paprika, if you can get it). If, after eating a quarter-cup of the gumbo, you decide it's too mild, add more crushed red pepper, or chopped seed