This recipe is from Chef David Venable of QVC, who calls it “an easy-to-tackle version, filled with great Louisiana flavor and spice.” Gumbos have a lot of ingredients, but the cooking technique isn’t demanding.

Says David, “When preparing, be sure to chop your veggies in similar sizes to ensure that they cook at the same rate.” In this recipe, okra is used as a thickener, and also gives personality to the gumbo.
 
 
RECIPE: CHICKEN & SAUSAGE GUMBO WITH OKRA

Ingredients

 
Plus

[1] An easy gumbo, with chicken, okra and sausage (photo © QVC).

[2] You can also enjoy andouille sausage in a hot dog roll or hero sandwich (photo © Zatarain’s).

1. SEASON the chicken thighs with creole seasoning. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a 6-quart or larger stockpot over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage and set it aside.

2. ADD the chicken to the pot with the sausage drippings and cook over medium-high heat until brown on both sides. Remove the chicken and set it aside.

3. ADD the remaining 1/2 cup of oil and the flour, over medium heat. Cook the mixture, stirring slowly and constantly, for 10-15 minutes, or until dark brown. Be careful not to burn or scorch.

4. ADD the onions, garlic, celery, and bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Slowly add the broth and stir until there are no lumps. Add the tomatoes, rice, salt, cayenne, bay leaves, thyme, and okra. Stir and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes.

5. ADD the chicken and cooked sausage to the gumbo. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, plate, garnish with a sprinkle of parsley and serve with a side of rice.
 
 

Grab store-bought cupcakes or cake and a bag of baking chips, regular or mini.

They’re available in a rainbow of flavors/colors: butterscotch, cappuccino, caramel, cherry, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, mint, peanut butter, peppermint (white chips with bits of candy cane) and vanilla (white chocolate). We found them all on Amazon.

Nestle’s makes a Winter Blend of dark chocolate and mint chips that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day.

In the photo, peanut butter mini chips garnish a Crumbs chocolate cupcake filled with peanut butter frosting, topped with peanut butter and chocolate frosting.

Peanut butter-chocolate cupcake with a rim of peanut butter chips. Photo courtesy Crumbs.

 
MORE TO DO WITH BAKING CHIPS (CHOCOLATE CHIPS OR ANY FLAVOR)

March 2nd is National Banana Creme Pie Day. But is it banana creme or banana cream?

Crème, pronounced crehm, is the French word for cream. As recipes evolved in the U.S., the trend was to emulate French spellings to give the recipe a cachet. Doesn’t soupe du jour (typically misspelled as soup du jour) sound better than today’s soup?

Thus, in the name of cachet (or perhaps they weren’t good spellers), some of America’s bakers and restaurants began to offer creme pies. The proper use, however is cream pie.

To compound the error, crème got pronounced as creem—that’s right, the same as cream. So why the incorrect and pretentious spelling?

It would be nice to go back and correct the mistakes of the past, but that just won’t happen. So feel free to use the words interchangeably.

And bake this delicious double banana cream pie recipe (photo #1). The “double” comes from an American invention: Instead of just banana creme/cream in the pie crust, there is a layer of fresh-sliced bananas. It’s the way to go!

Want a chocolate crust? That’s a black bottom banana cream pie.

> The history of banana cream pie follows.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> Cream vs. creme: Which is correct?

> The year’s 10 banana holidays.

> The year’s 31 pie holidays.

> The history of bananas.

> The history of pie.

> The different types of pie: a photo glossary.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF BANANA CREAM PIE

How long have we had banana cream pie?

Pie is an ancient dish, although not the sweet pies and meat pies we know today. For much of pie history, the dough was inedible, used as a casing for meat pies to keep the juices in, before the widespread availability of pie pans.

Cream, custard and pudding pies date back to medieval times.

But while bananas were first domesticated in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea, by at least 5000 B.C.E. and possibly as far back as 8000 B.C.E., they weren’t readily available in the U.S. until the 1880s, due to improved transportation and aggressive marketing.

Busy bakers then refitted the traditional custard pie with a banana cream filling, and banana cream pie found its way into the recipe books. Late 19th and early 20th century cookbooks are full of banana recipes.

The oldest published American recipes for “banana pie” date to the late 19th century. They fill the pie crust with sliced bananas, not a banana cream/custard like today’s pies.

[1] Double banana cream pie: banana pudding over a layer of ripe bananas. Here’s a recipe (photo © McCormick).

[2] Topped with whipped cream and a few extra slices of banana (photo © Taste Of Home).

[3] National Banana Day is April 417th (photo © Eiliv Sonas Aceron | Unsplash).

In 1906, The Blue Ribbon Cook Book provided a banana and custard filling, but the two were not blended together into today’s familiar, creamy banana filling. Instead, sliced bananas lined the bottom of the crust, and the custard was poured over it.

By 1950 we get a version covered with whipped cream and toasted coconut. But the blended filling of creamy banana pudding? Our friends at FoodTimeline.org, which provided this history, don’t have it. Our mom, who was baking at the time, says “late 1950s, early 1960s.”

In 1971, restaurateurs in England invented the banoffee iie, a combination of banana cream and thick caramel (toffee) sauce. Some versions of the recipe include chocolate, coffee, or both [source].

Many bakers have created their own versions of banana cream pie, from adding a layer of peanut butter or Nutella on the bottom crust, to toppimg the pie with lots of whipped cream and coconut, à la coconut cream pie.

Some make a meringue topping, others drizzle salted caramel, shaved chocolate, whatever.

For a tropical touch, top the whipped cream with a small dice of guava, mango, papaya, and pineapple—banana’s tropical mates.

Emeril tops his banana cream pie with whipped cream, caramel sauce, and chocolate ribbons (the recipe).

For a quickie, make a “deconstructed” banana cream pie: banana pudding topped with shortbread crumbs.

The original pie, with sliced bananas on the bottom, survives today as “Double Banana Cream Pie: sliced bananas topped with banana cream pudding. Here’s a recipe.
 

[4] How about a chocolate banana cream pie? Here’s the recipe. For a quick touch of chocolate, use a chocolate cookie crust on a regular banana cream pie (photo © Love & Olive Oil).

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.