Courier Calls for Holiday Recipes

To contribute your recipes to our Holiday Gift Guide and Recipes section, bring them in to the office, mail them to 341 Third Ave. South (Glasgow, MT, 59230), or email to [email protected] with "Recipes" in the subject line. Deadline is Nov. 30.

Thanksgiving and a mercury drop set the stage for a perfect meal to fuel your post-Thanksgiving plans. Gumbo is a hearty, happy bowl of goodness, and it comes in as many varieties as there are opinions. All of which are made more wonderful by beginning with homemade stock built from your big bird skeleton, then spiffed up with hot links, rounded out with aromatic veggies, and mellowed with a dollop of white rice. Turkey bone gumbo hits the spot far better than that leftover turkey sandwich.

Turkey Bone Gumbo (serves 8)

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup flour

2 cups chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped bell peppers

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 pound smoked sausage, such as andouille or kielbasa, chopped

3 quarts turkey broth

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

Combine the oil and flour in a heavy-bottomed cast iron pot or enameled cast iron Dutch oven, over medium-low heat. Stirring slowly and consistently for 20 to 25 minutes, make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate.

Season the onions, bell peppers, and celery with the salt and cayenne. Add this to the roux and stir until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, stirring often for 5-7 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered for 45 minutes. Add the reserved turkey meat and cook for 30 minutes. Add the parsley and green onions.

Serve in soup bowls over steamed white rice.

For much more on the subject, visit gumbocrazy.com. Pableaux Johnson's recipe is hard to improve upon, since he'll have gumbo going from now until Mardi Gras.