A photo of Chicken and Andouille GumboA Recipe and a Poem: ‘Chicken and Andouille Gumbo’ and Other Poetry by Mary Gardner The Society May 1, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 15 Comments . Chicken and Andouille Gumbo Try my gumbo recipe From the land of andouille: ½ cup unsalted butter; ½ cup all-purpose flour Melt the butter, whisk in flour, Cook and stir a quarter-hour Till it’s peanut-butter hue. Set aside. This is the roux. 1 Tbsp canola oil, ½ cup each chopped red pepper and onion, ¼ cup each chopped celery and carrot In a 5- or 6-quart pot Heat the oil to good-and-hot, Celery, onions, carrots soften With the pepper, stirring often. ½ lb andouille sausage, chopped; roux (see above); 3 cups chicken broth Add the andouille and brown, Add the roux and mix around, Chicken broth incorporate, Bring it to the boiling-state. 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, 1 Tbsp or less Creole seasoning, 2 tsps filé powder Put the shredded chicken in (Sans the bones and sans the skin), Creole seasoning – not too much, Filé for the thickening touch. This is best if it is held One day, so the flavors meld. Ladle gumbo over rice, Serve with buttered baguette-slice. Recipe’s enough for four, So it says, but they’ll want more. . Andouille (an-DOO-ē): a spicy Louisiana smoked pork sausage. Roux (roo): a mixture of fat and flour, cooked; used in making sauces. Filé (FEE-lay): pounded or powdered sassafras leaves used to flavor and thicken gumbo. Baguette (bag-ĖT): a long, narrow loaf of French bread . . Spies The Counter-Intelligence Corps (CIC), was a World War II and post-war agency within the U.S. Army. Great-Grand-Pops relates to me Of his work in CIC. Those were scary times, uncertain, Evil Empire’s Iron Curtain. Cold War with the Sickle-Hammer Had its fearsomeness and glamour. He took part in years of strife, Fighting for our way of life. When we’re grown we’ll too be spies, Gumshoes, tecs, or private eyes, FBI or CIA, We’ll wear suits and ties by day; Nighttime, we’ll wear camouflage, Masters of espionage. State militia, Special Forces, Sheriff’s posse, riding horses, Infiltrating, you and I; Drug bust at the junior high, Break up cells of terrorists, Fight with judo, guns, and fists. We shall feel such grand excitement When they’re handed an indictment! We, good patriots and pure, Selfless sacrifice endure. All will praise our fealty – We shall keep our Nation free. Save the world through Special Ops Worthy of our Great-Grand-Pops. . . Mary Gardner is a poet living in Florida. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Trending now: 15 Responses jd May 1, 2023 Very clever, Mary. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a recipe poem. Enjoyed the second poem also, especially the fact that Great-Grand-Pops (clever title) begins and ends it. Reply Mary Gardner May 1, 2023 I’m glad you enjoyed them, jd. We write what we know, and the recipe poem is a product of my many years as a housewife. “Spies” is how I imagine a 13-year-old would view the mystique of Cold War espionage. Great-Grand-Pops is based on my father, the CIC man. Reply Paul Freeman May 1, 2023 I’ll have to get my son to work on the Gumbo recipe. I’ll let you know how your poem tastes. It looks delicious! I lived through the insurgency in Saudi Arabia during the noughties. The cells were identified and gradually eliminated, but it was a scary time which I find difficult to write about. Let’s hope your ‘Spies’ poem gives me the nudge needed. I enjoyed your poems, Mary. Thanks for the reads. Reply Mary Gardner May 1, 2023 Thank you for your service, Paul. Thanks also for the kind words. I’m happy you like the poems. Reply Paul Freeman May 1, 2023 I was actually living and working in Saudi during the insurgency, not part of the military. I had to evacuate my wife and kids for a year when things got bad, only for things to get worse after they came back. Like I said, I really need to get this down poetically! Roy Eugene Peterson May 1, 2023 Mary, I have written a couple of recipe poems, but yours takes the cake and makes me hungry. I do plan on saving this and trying it out. Your poem about the CIC is a wonderful tribute not only to your “Pops,” but to my friends and my own career in military intelligence that included sub rosa activities. Reply Monika Cooper May 3, 2023 Roy, thank you for your service! And please let me offer here my sympathies for the loss of your wife. I was so sorry to read about the circumstances of her death during the inhuman Covid protocols. Reply Joseph S. Salemi May 1, 2023 The recipe poem is sheer delight — and it makes you hungry just to read it! I am reminded of Rostand’s play Cyrano de Bergerac, where the pastry-cook Ragueneau recites a perfect recipe (in alexandrines) for almond tartlets. Reply Mary Gardner May 1, 2023 Thank you, Joseph. I’m pleased that you enjoyed it. I had to look up Ragueneau’s recitation. It’s a gem! Reply Mary Gardner May 1, 2023 Thank you for the nice comments, Roy. My gumbo recipe “taking the cake” made me smile. I’d love to read your recipe poems. Maybe recipes could be a Poetry Challenge. Thank you your service to the Nation. Reply Roy Eugene Peterson May 1, 2023 Mary, that would be an excellent challenge. I appreciate your thanks for my service to the nation. Reply Monika Cooper May 2, 2023 What great food writing: makes me think of a very wholesome magic charm. And makes me hungry. Tetrameter is the perfect meter for it. Reply Mary Gardner May 2, 2023 Thank you, Monika. I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s a tasty recipe, and I hope it inspires people to try it, and to write their own recipe poems. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant May 2, 2023 Mary, how wonderful to see a poetic recipe for Gumbo. I love it! After reading your admirably crafted instructions, I want every recipe I read from here on in to be a toe-tapping, rhyming delight. As for Gumbo… it was the line in a song until I moved to Texas and tasted the words… it’s now one of my favorite dishes. Mary thank you! Reply Mary Gardner May 2, 2023 Thank you for the kind words, Susan. I’m happy that you liked it. Along the northern Gulf Coast, there are as many recipes for gumbo as there are cooks…but I bet this is the only one in verse. I hope you, too, will share your favorite recipes in poetic form. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
jd May 1, 2023 Very clever, Mary. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a recipe poem. Enjoyed the second poem also, especially the fact that Great-Grand-Pops (clever title) begins and ends it. Reply
Mary Gardner May 1, 2023 I’m glad you enjoyed them, jd. We write what we know, and the recipe poem is a product of my many years as a housewife. “Spies” is how I imagine a 13-year-old would view the mystique of Cold War espionage. Great-Grand-Pops is based on my father, the CIC man. Reply
Paul Freeman May 1, 2023 I’ll have to get my son to work on the Gumbo recipe. I’ll let you know how your poem tastes. It looks delicious! I lived through the insurgency in Saudi Arabia during the noughties. The cells were identified and gradually eliminated, but it was a scary time which I find difficult to write about. Let’s hope your ‘Spies’ poem gives me the nudge needed. I enjoyed your poems, Mary. Thanks for the reads. Reply
Mary Gardner May 1, 2023 Thank you for your service, Paul. Thanks also for the kind words. I’m happy you like the poems. Reply
Paul Freeman May 1, 2023 I was actually living and working in Saudi during the insurgency, not part of the military. I had to evacuate my wife and kids for a year when things got bad, only for things to get worse after they came back. Like I said, I really need to get this down poetically!
Roy Eugene Peterson May 1, 2023 Mary, I have written a couple of recipe poems, but yours takes the cake and makes me hungry. I do plan on saving this and trying it out. Your poem about the CIC is a wonderful tribute not only to your “Pops,” but to my friends and my own career in military intelligence that included sub rosa activities. Reply
Monika Cooper May 3, 2023 Roy, thank you for your service! And please let me offer here my sympathies for the loss of your wife. I was so sorry to read about the circumstances of her death during the inhuman Covid protocols. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi May 1, 2023 The recipe poem is sheer delight — and it makes you hungry just to read it! I am reminded of Rostand’s play Cyrano de Bergerac, where the pastry-cook Ragueneau recites a perfect recipe (in alexandrines) for almond tartlets. Reply
Mary Gardner May 1, 2023 Thank you, Joseph. I’m pleased that you enjoyed it. I had to look up Ragueneau’s recitation. It’s a gem! Reply
Mary Gardner May 1, 2023 Thank you for the nice comments, Roy. My gumbo recipe “taking the cake” made me smile. I’d love to read your recipe poems. Maybe recipes could be a Poetry Challenge. Thank you your service to the Nation. Reply
Roy Eugene Peterson May 1, 2023 Mary, that would be an excellent challenge. I appreciate your thanks for my service to the nation. Reply
Monika Cooper May 2, 2023 What great food writing: makes me think of a very wholesome magic charm. And makes me hungry. Tetrameter is the perfect meter for it. Reply
Mary Gardner May 2, 2023 Thank you, Monika. I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s a tasty recipe, and I hope it inspires people to try it, and to write their own recipe poems. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant May 2, 2023 Mary, how wonderful to see a poetic recipe for Gumbo. I love it! After reading your admirably crafted instructions, I want every recipe I read from here on in to be a toe-tapping, rhyming delight. As for Gumbo… it was the line in a song until I moved to Texas and tasted the words… it’s now one of my favorite dishes. Mary thank you! Reply
Mary Gardner May 2, 2023 Thank you for the kind words, Susan. I’m happy that you liked it. Along the northern Gulf Coast, there are as many recipes for gumbo as there are cooks…but I bet this is the only one in verse. I hope you, too, will share your favorite recipes in poetic form. Reply
