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Add Worcestershire and Tabasco. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for another 45 minutes or until the duck is tender. Last but not least, add green onions, parsley, oysters and oyster liquor and simmer for no more than 4-5 minutes.

Serve over wild rice or popcorn rice.

IOWA RABBIT FESTIVAL ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Rabbit gumbo is a featured food at the Iowa (pronounced EYE-oh-way) Rabbit Festival, an event that has become one of the traditions in Southwest Louisiana. The festival takes place the third weekend in March at the Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles.

Chef’s notes: If wild ducks are not available, carry yourself to Rouses Markets and get some domestic ones. Just be aware that they tend to be a little more fatty, so I recommend braising them separately and then adding to the gumbo. What’s a simmer? It means to cook a liquid just below the boiling point; if it’s boiling, it’s too high. A roux is a labor of love. If you don’t have patience or time, don’t attempt to make it, just go to Rouses Markets and buy that jarred roux — just make sure ya mom and dem don’t see ya.

Reduce heat to medium; continue whisking until roux is the color of peanut butter, about 10-15 minutes. Add yellow onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic and bay leaves, and continue stirring the roux with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat to medium-low and add seasoned duck to pot, then increase heat to medium and cook, frequently turning duck pieces until browned, about 10 minutes. Add chicken stock and tasso. Bring gumbo to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, and skim off fat from the surface of gumbo as it simmers.

COURIR DE MARDI GRAS GUMBO ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT The best catch at Cajun country Mardi Gras is a live chicken. The courir or “run” is a tradition that can trace its winding lineage back to the shores of France. It involves going house to house and asking for “charity” (read: foodstuffs) on the day before Ash Wednesday. In Louisiana’s Cajun country, asking for these edible gifts morphed quickly into the ritual of “begging” for the ingredients to make a gumbo (think: chickens, sausage, rice, onions), which would then be cooked up later in the afternoon.

KREWE OF KREWES ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT One of the most popular

LENTEN GUMBO ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT The St. James Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge has been making and selling Lenten gumbo lunches since 1951. What started out as a one-time gumbo sale to raise money to buy an air conditioner turned into an annual fundraiser for the downtown church. After a two-year break because of COVID, members of the downtown church were back this year on a shortened schedule — the traditional “every Friday during Lent” sale was instead a one-day Jumbo Gumbo event. We can’t wait to get a bowl next year.

events leading up to Mardi Gras in Lake Charles, Louisiana, is the World Famous Cajun Extravaganza/ Gumbo Cook-Off held at the Lake Charles Civic Center. Lucky festival-goers get the chance to sample different types of gumbo from participants, including the more than 50 Mardi Gras krewes that make up the larger organization called Krewe of Krewes, and area restaurants and organizations. It is one of the best things about Mardi Gras in Lake Charles.

46 ROUSES FAL L 2022