Gumbo

Total Time: 9 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 mins Cook Time: 8 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 1/3 cup cooking oil (or butter)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups onions, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups green bell peppers
• 1 -2 jalapeno pepper (optional)
• 2 -4 celery ribs
• 1 lb andouille sausage (or smoked sausage if you can't get smoked andoulle)
• 1 lb shrimp, cooked (optional)
• 1 1/2 lbs chicken, cooked
• oregano
• basil
• thyme
• 4 garlic cloves
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• black pepper
• pepper
• ground red pepper
• paprika
• 2 -4 cups water
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon file powder (use corn starch to thicken if you can't find the file)

Recipe

• 1 make the roux. in a small sauce pan combine oil and flour and cook on medium stirring constantly until the mixture turns dark brown like melted chocolate. heat it slowly or it will burn -- don't be tempted to crank up the heat to make it cook faster, this will take 15-20 minutes. if it starts to smoke, you're are on the verge of burning it, so turn the heat down as far as it will go and continue stirring. it turns a grainy looking texture if it burns. when finished let it cool in the pan.
• 2 chop veg and put in crock or a big pot.
• 3 cut up sausage into rounds and fry in a pan, then add to crock or pot.
• 4 tear up chicken, add to crock.
• 5 add herbs, spices, water, roux, and garlic. i start with about 1/4 tsp of each: oregano, basil, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, black pepper, paprika, and red pepper.
• 6 simmer the whole thing until you can't keep people out of it without the threat of bodily harm. i usually use the crock and cook it on low for about 8 hours taste, add more seasonings if needed. i never quite add enough salt, so it always needs more salt. add more water if necessary.
• 7 add cooked shrimp, if using. simmer 20 minutes more.
• 8 thicken with file or corn starch. if using file, add it just at the very end right before serving. cooked file gets tough and rubbery, but it adds a desirable flavor. if using corn starch, put 2-3 tablespoons in a cup, add a bit of water and mix until dissolved then add the mix to the gumbo and stir it inches use more if necessary.
• 9 server over cooked rice.