Chicken and sausage Gumbo

With kitchen shears, trim off excess skin and fat from chicken thighs; place chicken in glass bowl. Season with cayenne pepper, salt and garlic; massage well to coat chicken evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or for up to 24 hours.

Pour flour into plastic bag; add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat evenly. Reserve excess flour.

In large shallow Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown chicken in batches if necessary. Transfer to platter.

Let pan cool slightly. Whisk reserved flour into cooled fat in pan to make smooth paste, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until roux is colour of melted dark chocolate and begins to smoke lightly, about 8 minutes.

Stir in onions, celery and green pepper; cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in stock. Return chicken to pan. Add andouille sausage and bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until juices run clear when chicken is pierced, turning chicken once, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, trim okra. Blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes or until bright green. Drain and refresh under cold water. Add to gumbo; cook until okra is tender, about 8 minutes.

Serve over rice.