The chicken is highly seasoned and then fried. The okra is fried, broken down and combined with file powder and tomato sauce. The roux is made and set aside. The gumbo is assembled by adding the ingredients, one at a time, to half of the boiling chicken stock. The roux is stirred in by the spoonful.
More stock is added until the gumbo reaches the desired consistency.
At the restaurant, Russo cuts the chicken into bite-size pieces for serving. But at home he leaves the chicken on the bone, in large pieces. This is the way it is served by families in Louisiana bayou country. The final ingredients to go into the pot are smoked sausage, smoked ham, garlic and bay leaf. In honor of Mardi Gras, Russo will serve samples of his gumbo from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at West Point Market.