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In a recent editorial meeting, this team discussed our grievances or joys amid this year’s January chill. For those who chose joy — Colin and I — there were different reasons for celebrating the season. Colin, an Ohio native, would be happy to go all-in on some snowy day, sub-zero camping; and I’m all about the “affordable Hygge” vibe: fluffy blankets, burning logs in the fireplace, and, most of all, amazing winter foods.

For tonight’s dinner, I once again turn to one of my favorite historic food columnists: Pittsburgh Courier’s own Bessie Gant. I’ve recreated her Chicken Oyster Gumbo with a few modifications — for the sake of availability, cost, efficiency, and flavor.

Bessie Gant’s column from The Pittsburgh Courier, Jan. 25, 1941 Credit: The Pittsburgh Courier

The original recipe reads as follows:

1 small stewing chicken
½ beef, ground
1 cup diced okra
½ cup celery, diced very fine
3 pints water
3 dozen oysters
Salt and pepper
1 onion
1 tbsp. butter
1 ½ tbsp. sassafras leaves

Cut chicken for stewing. Place chicken, beef, okra, and celery in a pot. Add water and cook until meat is tender. Lift out pieces of chicken; let cook slightly; remove bones dice meat and return to the broth. Add oysters and their liquor. Brown onion in the butter in frying pan; add to soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add sassafras leaves. Cook until edges of oysters curl. Serves 6.

My version substituted two ingredients: the stewing chicken was replaced with a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, and raw oysters were replaced with canned.

If you are a savvy shopper with time to browse several locally-owned international markets, you may stumble upon a stewing chicken. Stewing chickens are hens that are past their prime, so the meat is tougher and the bird is a bit smaller than a typical store-bought chicken. Stewing chickens must be cooked low and slow for several hours to tenderize the meat. It is also said that they make better broth than standard store-bought chickens.

Stewing chickens are also allegedly cheaper than regular store-bought chickens. One Redditor claimed to have found some at a local international market for $2.45 apiece! However, in my search, I found stewing chickens on sale for a whopping $4 per pound. Meanwhile, my whole rotisserie chicken from Costco was $5.

Canned oysters from Aldi Credit: CP Photo: Stacy Rounds

Raw oysters are also pretty dang pricey. I’d love to try this recipe one day with fresh oysters, but for now, I’ll settle for canned. The canned oysters at Aldi are currently $1.69 per can — each can containing a dozen oysters, compared to $1.25 per raw oyster at Giant Eagle.

On top of substituting two ingredients, I also made a few other modifications. First, made my chicken broth the day before to save time. I removed all the meat before making bone broth and saved it in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator. I roasted the bones and scrap veggies (carrots, celery, onion, and shallot) at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Then, I added my roasted chicken and veggies to my Dutch oven, covered them with water, and then added salt, pepper, and a handful of fresh herbs. I brought the broth to a boil and then cut the heat down to a simmer. I let my broth simmer for six hours.

I cleaned and used the same Dutch oven for the rest of the recipe (I love a one-pot dish!). First, I browned 1 lb. of ground beef. I decided to use 1 lb. instead of ½ lb. because I didn’t want to split my package of beef and because I figured the gumbo would be more robust with more meat. Then, I set the beef aside. I added my butter, diced celery, and diced onion and let those cook until softened. I added my beef back to the pot, then the chicken. Then, I added 2 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups of seafood stock.

Once the mixture began to heat up, I added a cup of canned diced okra. Then, I added my salt, pepper, and Gumbo File, which is just ground-up sassafras leaves.

After simmering the mixture together for an hour, I added the canned oysters, 2 tsp. Cajun seasoning, and 2 tsp. Frank’s Red Hot. Keep in mind that these additional spices are optional. Also, if you like your gumbo thicker, you can add a simple roux to the mix. If you add roux, adjust the salt to taste.