Dirty Cajun Pasta

Step 1

For the gumbo: Make a roux by whisking the flour and bacon drippings together in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat to form a smooth mixture. Cook the roux, watching the heat carefully and whisking constantly so that it doesn’t burn, until it turns a rich mahogany brown, about 45 minutes.

Step 2

Place the celery, onion, green bell pepper, green chiles and garlic in a food processor, and pulse until the vegetables are very finely chopped. Stir into the roux, then add the hot links and chicken to the pan. Bring the entire mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat, then cook until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Add the Demi, Fra Diavolo and 1 quart water and stir together. Reduce the heat to a simmer and mix in the granulated sugar, salt, hot sauce, Worcestershire, cayenne, thyme and bay leaves. Simmer the soup over low heat for 1 hour, then turn off the heat and whisk in the gumbo file powder.

Step 3

For the dirty Cajun pasta: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 4

In a medium pot, sauté the hot links, pulled pork, green chiles and salsa verde until hot. Add 16 ounces gumbo (save the remaining gumbo for another use) and Fra Diavola and stir to incorporate. Cook until it starts to bubble. Add the penne and mozzarella and mix until incorporated. Add the mixture to a large casserole dish and top with the cheese curds. Bake until the cheese starts to brown, about 20 minutes. Garnish with the granulated garlic, oregano and basil.

Step 5

For the demi-glace gravy: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 6

Add the raw bones to a sheet tray. Liberally rub the bones with the tomato paste and some oil. Roast for 30 minutes.

Step 7

In a large pot, add the oil, celery, carrots, garlic and onions. Saute the vegetables until they start to sweat, then deglaze the pot with some wine. Add the cooked beef bones to the pot. Deglaze the sheet tray with the remaining wine. To the pot, add the peppercorns, thyme, deglazed drippings and 1 gallon cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to low and cook for 8 hours, skimming off the fat occasionally. Remove the beef bones and vegetables and strain the liquid through mesh. Reduce the gravy in a stockpot until thick. Add salt to taste.

Step 8

For the fra diavolo sauce: Combine the tomatoes, tomato paste, Romano, crushed red pepper, parsley, black pepper, oregano, salt, granulated sugar, cayenne and brown sugar in a bowl with an immersion blender. Blend until smooth.