Gumbo

Ingredients

1. 5-6 Lbs Meat * (Suggested: 2-3 lbs chicken, cut up or boned and/or 1 ½ lbs Andouille and/or 2-3 lbs shrimp
2. 1c fat (butter, lard, bacon drippings)
3. 1 c flour
4. 1 TBS chopped garlic
5. 8 C stock
6. 2 c green onions
7. 4 c onions
8. 2 c celery
9. 2 c green pepper
10. 4 tablespoons tomato paste
11. 1 pound okra, sliced into discs
12. Cajun seasoning
13. 3 Bay leaves
14. cooked rice
15. filé

Procedure

1. In a large soup pot, season and brown chicken in oil over medium heat.  Add sausage and ½ the onion, green pepper, and celery to the pot and sautee with the chicken.  Remove all from pot.
2. Make a roux with equal parts fat (must be free of food particles to avoid burning) and flour to desired color (Blonde for crab; ‘Peanut Butter’ for chicken, crawfish, shrimp; Chocolate brown for darker meats. This whole process can take 30 minutes.). ** 
3. Add remaining onion, green pepper, and celery and garlic and stir continuously.  
4. Meanwhile heat up the stock in another pot or microwave.  
5. After vegetables reach desired tenderness, return chicken mixture, tomato paste, okra, and bay leaves to the pot and cook, continuing to stir frequently.  Gently stir in hot liquid and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook for an hour or more.  Season to taste with cajun spice.
6. Approx. 10 min before serving, add shrimp and green onions to the pot.  Remove Bay Leaves.

Serve gumbo either as a soup, or over rice.  Make filé available to individuals, ¼ to ½ tsp per serving for thickening and flavor.

Makes 15-20 servings

*You have some leeway in making gumbo, as it is really just a melange of meats and veggies. Most gumbos use a lot of the "Holy trinity," i.e., celery, green pepper and onion, but not too many other vegetables. But there is no reason you can't make a vegetarian gumbo. As for meats, any will do. As you use more than one you'll be fine. Chicken, andouille sausage and shrimp are a common trio. Beef, for some reason, is rare in gumbo.

**Most Louisiana gumbo relies on a roux that's almost the color of dark chocolate. Beyond the roux, you usually have a choice of a second thickener — okra or filé powder

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Original recipe: Went to a cooking class in New Orleans and saved the recipes

Posted by Jasmine