Duck, Fresh Sausage and Mirliton Gumbo

Ingredients

One 5 to 6 pound domestic duckling, cut into 8 serving pieces
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 teaspoons Creole Seasoning
1 and one-half teaspoons hot sauce
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
2 quarts chicken broth
1 cup chopped onion
One-half cup chopped celery
One-half cup chopped bell pepper
One-half cup dark brown roux
3 bay leaves
1 pound fresh pork sausage
2 large mirlitons, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
One-fourth teaspoon salt
One-fourth cup sliced green onions
8 cups cooked long grain white rice

Instructions

Season the duckling with the Worcestershire sauce, 3 teaspoons of the Creole seasoning, 1 teaspoon of the hot sauce, the granulated garlic and granulated onion. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the duck from the refrigerator and place it in a baking pan. Roast for 45 minutes. Remove the duck from pan and discard the fat.

In a large saucepan, combine the chicken broth, one-half cup of the onions, one-fourth cup of the celery and one-fourth cup of the bell peppers, the roux, the remaining hot sauce, the bay leaves, the sausage (unsliced) and the roasted duckling. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the sausage, cool and cut crosswise into one-fourth inch slices. Set aside. Add the remaining one-half cup onions, one-fourth cup celery, one-fourth cup bell peppers and the garlic. Cover and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

Return the sausage to the pot, and add the mirliton and salt. Continue to simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Cover and cook for 15 more minutes. Stir in the green onions and serve over rice.

- If you are using wild ducks, cook the ducks longer to tenderize, the length of time will depend upon the toughness of the ducks. You will also have to increase the chicken broth by one-half quart.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings