Gumbo...no need to say more.

This weekend has been full of making wonderful food with incredibly fresh ingredients. Today became Gumbo day and now that our bellies are full we can reflect on the steps it took to make this savory, spicy and delicious dish.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter
¾ cup flour
½ large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 small bell peppers (green, yellow, red)
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 cup sliced okra
1 can minced clams, with juice
3 cups chicken stock
1 ½ cups roasted tomatoes, with juice (slice up about 5 tomatoes on a cookie sheet, top with a little olive oil/salt/pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes)
3 bay leaves
1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Teaspoon thyme leaves
1 Teaspoon basil leaves
½ Teaspoon ground black pepper
1 ½ cups Andouille sausage, 1/4 inch sliced diagonally and cooked
2 pounds shrimp, cleaned and deveined – and no tails
olive oil


HOW TO:
You need a pretty large stock pot....preparing as follows....

COOK THE OKRA:
Start with 3 Tablespoons olive oil and 2 Teaspoons butter melted in a med-high heat. Add sliced okra and cook till sides are crispy brown, not burnt. Remove from pan and set aside.

COOK Onion, Celery and peppers in 3 Tablespoons olive oil till tender. Removed from pan and set aside.

MAKE THE ROUX:
Roux is cooked butter and flour used as a thickening agent to many dishes. In gumbo it is all about the roux being a deep brown, almost chocolate or brick red color. Just make sure to be quite attentive while it is cooking, cuz if you burn it you get to start all over again!

Over med-low heat melt butter and add the flour using a whisk. Stir often and allow to cook for 15 minutes (yes, please use a timer) and eyeball whether the color is rich and dark...if it is you are done, if not let it keep cooking for another 5 minutes or so. The end result is a very velvety smooth, dark brown, slurry. Keep this in the pan and get ready to finish the gumbo....

TO THE ROUX ADD:
Seasonings, all vegetables, stock, clams, tomatoes and simmer.

COOK the Andouille sausage in a skillet till the slices are browned on both sides and then add to the pot.

ADD the shrimp, stir well, cover and let simmer 30-45 minutes...done.

SERVE the gumbo in individual bowls (I think the ones used for spaghetti are best) over some steamed white rice. Garnish with a little chopped fresh parsley and serve with thick slices of crusty bread.

Enjoy!
Chery