Duck Gumbo

Duck gumbo is one of my favorite dishes my Daddy prepares. This is not his recipe but it is a close interpretation. His recipe includes okra, but I knew I would forget something at the grocery store. Oops! We have an abundance of wild game in our fridge and freezer at all times. I particularly love cooking wild game. It is always a challenge for me to cook delicious dishes and show others that wild game can be tasty! It is an honor to cook these beautiful creatures. Their colorful feathers and beautiful markings are truly natures work of art! You can substitute chicken for the duck but you would be missing out!

Duck Gumbo

6 duck breasts

2 slices Orange

2 ribs Celery

1 Onion

1 Bay Leaf

Place cleaned de-boned duck breast in heavy bottom pot with celery, onion, orange slices, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Add approximately 8 cups of water. You may need to add additional water while cooking. Boil for 45 minutes to one hour until duck starts to get tender. It will not fall apart like chicken but it will begin to tenderize. Remove duck from broth and let cool. Strain broth and save. You will need 8 cups of broth. You can add water to the duck broth if you don’t have enough. When duck is cooled slice into thin strips and save.

 1 c chopped Onion

1 c chopped Celery

1 c chopped Bell Pepper

1 lb Smoked Sausage

½ lb Bacon

¼ c Flour

1 lb cubed Ham

8 c Duck Broth

2 14.5oz cans Stewed Tomatoes

2 14.5oz Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic

½ c White Wine

1/2 c Ketchup

¼ c Flour

Hot Sauce

Salt and Pepper to Taste

 While duck is cooking fry ½ lb of bacon in soup pot. Once bacon is done drain on paper towels. Add ¼ c olive oil to bacon drippings and sauté onion, celery, bell pepper, and sausage in drippings. When veggies start to get tender add flour and cook for 5 minutes. Add reserved duck stock, tomatoes, white wine, ham, and duck. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 30-45 minutes until duck is very tender and gumbo has thickened. Add ketchup, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Let sit 20-30 minutes to allow flavors to marry. Crumble bacon over top of gumbo. Gumbo can stand alone or serve over white rice. This dish is even better the next day or the next. It makes a hefty pot so you can plan to feed a crowd or you can freeze.