Gumbo and the grape

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - Gumbo is Louisiana comfort food of the first order, a thick, stewlike dish that warms the soul as well as the tummy. Cold beer or a tall glass of sweet tea may be your first choice but don't count wine out of the action. With care, you can find just the right wine to match whatever version of gumbo you're having.

Recipes for gumbo are as varied as the cooks who make it. Some directions call for meat or poultry, others use seafood or fish. Vegetables can include bell peppers, tomatoes, onions and okra. Spicing runs the gamut from mild to ferocious; that's where the wine pairing can get dicey.

Spicy foods can make some wines taste "hotter," so you need to avoid wines high in alcohol or tannins.

"If you like it spicy, then flavorful, aromatic whites and fruity and light reds seem logical," said Mike Baker of Chicago's Wine Discount Center. These wines can lift or balance the heat in the food.

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CHICKEN AND ANDOUILLE GUMBO

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 2 hours, 12 minutes

Yield: 10 servings

Kerry Luft, a New Orleans native and the Tribune's associate managing editor/foreign and national, tends to wing it when it comes to measuring ingredients for his gumbo. Luft just uses his eye, which is why he says the roux is best when it's colored "dark chocolate." Any black specks in the flour-oil mixture means the roux is burned and you have to start again. A commercially prepared Cajun spice mix can be used instead of your own custom blend on the chicken. To serve, mound the rice in the center of a bowl or plate and pour the gumbo over.

1 ˝ pounds boneless chicken thighs, cubed

Cajun rub:

1 tablespoon each: paprika, onion powder, ground red pepper, garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

˝ teaspoon salt

Ľ teaspoon black pepper

Gumbo:

ľ cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil

ľ cup flour

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced

1 green pepper, chopped

˝ teaspoon each: dried thyme, dried basil, dried oregano

8 cups cold chicken broth or water

1 pound andouille or other smoked sausage, sliced Ľ-inch thick

Hot red pepper sauce, file powder, see note

1. Combine the chicken and the rub ingredients in a large bowl; toss to coat chicken evenly. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until browned, stirring, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside.

2. Lower heat to medium. Pour the remaining ľ cup of the oil into skillet. Gradually sprinkle the flour into the oil, stirring, until a paste is formed. Cook, stirring often, until the roux turns a deep brown, 25 minutes.

3. Add the onion; cook until softened, 1 minute. Stir in celery; cook 1 minute. Add the garlic and green pepper; cook 1 minute. Stir in the thyme, basil and oregano. Slowly add the cold broth, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Add cooked chicken and sausage. Heat to a boil; lower heat to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, skimming foam and oil from the top as needed, 2 hours. Adjust seasonings. Serve, passing hot sauce and file powder (for thickening) at the table.

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Note: File (FEE-lay) powder is an important Creole ingredient made from ground dried sassafras leaves. Look for it in the spice sections of supermarkets, spice shops and specialty food markets.

Nutrition information per serving: 398 calories, 67 percent of calories from fat, 27 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 70 mg cholesterol, 13 g carbohydrates, 25 g protein, 1,136 mg sodium, 2 g fiber

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TAKING THE HEAT

There's always an element of suspense to food and wine pairings. You never really know which wine will score best, especially in a blind tasting involving a group of people with varying tastes and preferences. What always fascinates, however, is how a wine's ranking can go up or down depending on the pairing. The Valley of the Moon pinot blanc was far and away the tasting panel's favorite wine on its own, but it fell to fourth place when tasted against the gumbo. The Spanish albarino from Salneval moved up from second place on its own to first with the gumbo. As always, the ratings below reflect how well the wine went with the food.

2007 Salneval Albarino: Plenty of green apple flavor in this golden Spanish white. Refreshingly crisp, the wine holds its own against the gumbo's spicy heat. 3 corks. $9

2007 McManis Cabernet Sauvignon: This California red has touches of spice, berry and wood on the nose. Its berry profile gets a neat boost from the gumbo. 3 corks. $9

2006 Wild Earth Pinot Noir: From New Zealand's Central Otago region, this red is liberally spiked with notes of black pepper, bacon and dark fruit. Most tasters thought the wine's spice element played well with the gumbo. 3 corks. $27

2007 Valley of the Moon Pinot Blanc: Although this Sonoma County white was crisp and lively with tart apple notes, the wine lost its distinctiveness when matched with the gumbo. 2 corks. $14

2007 Columbia Crest Two Vines Gewurztraminer: From Washington's Columbia Valley, this spicy white had a melonlike sweetness that countered the gumbo's heat. Still, most tasters found the pairing uninspired. 2 corks. 2 corks. $7

2007 Murphy's Law Rose: Strawberry colored, this wine offered plenty of fresh fruit flavor atop a stony foundation. The gumbo made the wine taste tarter. 2 corks. $15

2007 Chehalem INOX Chardonnay: This white had a grapefruit-like tartness with a hint of plush guava. The gumbo's spicy muscularity overwhelmed the wine's delicate fruit flavors. 2 corks. $22.

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© 2008, Chicago Tribune.