Combine the oil and flour in a large cast-iron or enameled cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Stirring slowly and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes, make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and continue to stir for 4 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables are wilted. Add the sausage, salt, cayenne pepper, and bay leaves. Continue to stir for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the water. Stir until the roux mixture and water are well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.   

    Season the chicken well and add to the pot. Simmer for 2 hours. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley, green onions, and file' powder. Remove the bay leaves and serve over rice in deep bowls.

    After mixing the dough (add in the bean or doll now, if desired) and letting it rise, shape it into an oval ring, following the description given below for the approximate dimensions*. Sprinkle the top of the cake evenly with sugar (mix sugar with the purple, green and yellow food coloring together) all over the top, with the swirl of one color slightly overlapping the next (purple, green and yellow are traditional Mardi Gras colors). Set the cake on a baking sheet and bake according to instructions in the recipe you use. The finished cake should be lightly browned wherever the dough shows through. The parts covered with colored sugar should appear slightly crust.

*Dimensions

    Shape-an oval ring about 2-1/2" thick and about 3" high at the highest point; and the decoration, as elaborate and colorful as possible in order to make the cake look like a jeweled crown. As for the bean or doll, it can be baked into the batter or pushed into the finished cake from underneath just so long as it's done secretly, so no one knows in advance which slice will designate the monarch for the week.