It’s a delight hanging out with SJ and family. Among the pleasures are the magical dinners turned out by Exquisite Maiko and SJ. Yes, EM is a renowned chef (a star of Brooklyn’s Smorgasburg among other venues). But, SJ also has a mighty arsenal of culinary skills. SJ’s barbecue is splendid. SJ’s pasta dishes are exemplary. HG maintains SJ’s chicken gumbo is his parade dish. Much better than any gumbo served in New Orleans, Charleston, Savannah and other gumbo-centric locales. The basis of a good gumbo is the roux (the slow cooked mix of flour and oil). Burnt or too dark roux makes the gumbo bitter or inedible. SJ is patient and painstaking. His roux is the result of almost 30 minutes of constant stirring until it reaches a lush mahogany color. That’s the base. The other elements are the New Orleans “Holy Trinity”: Chopped celery, green peppers and onions/garlic. Chicken, of course. Stock. Carrots. Okra. Lots of spices. File powder (thickens the gumbo). Slices of Polish kielbasa sausage. Rice. HG has never observed the cooking process closely. SJ may have some secrets. In any case, SJ Chicken Gumbo was dinner last night. Succulent. Spicy. Full of complex and tantalizing flavors. Very filling. HG could only manage one and a half bowls. (Well, they were pretty big bowls).
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