Catahoula Gumbo Dog Recipe

Preparation:
Heat the oil in a large, heavy kettle over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown well on all sides. Add onions and garlic and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, stir often. Add ham, okra, tomato paste, water, bay leaf, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, and salt pepper to taste. Bring gumbo to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Add shrimp and cook 15 more minutes. Remove the chicken pieces and bone them, returning meat to gumbo. Discard bay leaf. Spoon the rice into dog dish and top with gumbo. Serve hot. You can make 5 to 6 quarts of gumbo with this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 chickens (6 to 7 pounds) cut into 16 pieces
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 cups diced smoked ham
• 2 cups diced okra, fresh, frozen or canned
• ½ cup tomato paste
• 12 cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 pinches of cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined
• Steamed white rice

Note:
The Catahoula leopard dog arrived in Louisiana with the first colonists from France to settle in the Catahoula parish. This dog is used to herd livestock, hunt raccoons, and serve as a top-notch guard dog. Speckled unevenly (from this he gets the name), this long, lean, short-haired dog is every once in a while found with brilliant turquoise eyes.

Catahoula Gumbo will have your dog dreaming of either a frolic through steamy bayous, if that's his inclination, or maybe of a relaxing afternoon stretched out underneath the sweet blossoms of a magnolia tree. Use a light hand with the cayenne so as not to overwhelm your pet's sensitive canine nose.