Old Fashioned Wild Duck/Goose Gumbo

Cajun Cooker's Note:

This is a gumbo made without a roux - I had to learn how to make this for my first hubby because that's how his mom made it! It took me a few tries to get it to brown enough, but, once I learned the secret (a good, heavy pot!) my gumbo by far surpassed hers. If you use wild goose you have to let it simmer a long time (2 to 4 hours) and keep the liquid level up. Ducks, depending on size, will get tender in 1 to 2 hours It's some trouble, but worth the effort.

• Total Time: 3 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 duck or 1 goose
• 1 lb smoked pork sausage
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped onion tops
• ¼ cup parsley
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Cut up the duck or goose and season with salt and pepper.
2. Pour cooking oil into large black iron pot or any other heavy cooking pot. Heat oil and add cut up duck or goose.
3. Brown all sides of meat, gradually adding small amounts of water to keep it from burning. Keep browning it until you get a good dark crust on the bottom and sides of the pot.
4. When it's browned enough, remove the meat and pour off any excess oil left in pot. Return meat to pot and add enough water to cover the meat.
5. Cut up the sausage into thick slices and add it to the pot.
6. Add all of the chopped vegetables and additional salt and pepper. You can also use optional seasonings, like 'Tony Chachere's' or 'Slap Ya Mama' if you can get your hands on it.
7. Simmer until the meat is tender - this is the key. Ducks will tenderize alot quicker than geese will. I have simmered geese as long as 3 or 4 hours - to the point where the vegetables had all cooked to nothing. I happen to like alot of 'floaties' in my gumbo, so, if that happens, I add more and cook until they're also tender. Keep adding water as it cooks down to keep the level up.
8. Turn gumbo off for a while so that any excess grease or oil from the sausage will rise to the top, then skim it off.
9. Ladle this into a bowl of steamed long grain rice and serve with a side of potato salad. Good on cold, wet winter days. Well worth the effort.