Name: The Perfect Family Recipe Gumbo
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 15 min
Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup bacon drippings (or butter); 2 stalks (about 1 cup) coarsely chopped celery; 1 large onion, coarsely chopped; 1 large green bell pepper, coarsely chopped; 2 cloves garlic, peeled; 1 pound smoked sausage, sliced; 3 quarts water; 6 tsp beef bouillon; 1 tablespoon white sugar; 2 tsp salt (to taste); ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend (to taste); 3 bay leaves; ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves; 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes; 1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce; 2 teaspoons file powder; 2 tablespoons butter; 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen cut okra, thawed; 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar; 4 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Wanna know a secret? This is someone's family recipe for sausage and shrimp gumbo; it's just not mine. I adapted this from Allrecipes, and the finished product is a thick, rich gumbo that you can customize to make as spicy as you'd like.

The roux is the base of the whole thing, and if the roux gets burned, you should really start over. If you use bacon grease, it'll come together sooner than if you use butter, but butter is a fine substitute. Leave yourself up to 45 minutes for the roux (and at least 15), and cook it on medium-low, stirring constantly.

Two notes on the spices: You have to use Cajun seasoning, and you have to use file powder. File (pronounced like filet) is essentially powdered sassafras, so you're not going to be able to sub something else in. Click here to buy a combo pack.

For the meat: I love shrimp, so I used shrimp - and I strongly recommend using medium size so it's bite-sized. I mixed 2 lbs large and 2 lbs jumbo, which also worked fine. And, use whatever smoked sausage you want. I literally used turkey sausage, and you couldn't tell. I stay away from andouille for this because it's such a strong flavor, but if you want that spicy kick then go for it. Otherwise, any smoked sausage is fine. Or add in chunks of boneless chicken when you add the shrimp, if you'd like that.

And, I strongly recommend using a food processor for the vegetables; it keeps them from being distracting, and they just become part of the sauce. Otherwise, dice them as small as you can. And don't skip frying the okra separately - it'll still thicken the soup but won't end up stealing the show.

You'll need:

1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup bacon drippings (or butter)
2 stalks (about 1 cup) coarsely chopped celery
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 large green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
3 quarts water
6 tsp beef bouillon
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 tsp salt (to taste)
½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend (such as Tony Chachere's®), or to taste
3 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons file powder
2 tablespoons butter
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen cut okra, thawed
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
4 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

In a large Dutch oven, start melting the bacon drippings and flour over medium-low heat. Continue to cook this roux, whisking constantly, until the color of milk chocolate (like a dark chocolate milk) - this will take at least 15-20 minutes, and possibly up to 45 minutes. Keep whisking constantly so it doesn't burn. In addition to changing colors, it will start to smell nutty, almost like popcorn. When it reaches this level, remove the pan from heat and keep whisking until it stops cooking.

Take the celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic and put them in the bowl of a food processor (you can do this in phases depending on how big the food processor is). Pulse until the ingredients are minced, but not a paste. Dump this into the roux, along with the smoked sausage, and return to heat.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat and let simmer, stirring constantly, about 15 minutes, until the onion is clear. (The roux might seize if it is still hot, which means it won't be a liquid but more of a paste at this point; this is fine and won't hurt the finished product. Just keep stirring with a wooden spoon until the onion is clear.)

You can make the gumbo up to this point, and keep the roux mixture in the refrigerator up to 2 days until you're ready to complete the recipe.

In a large Dutch oven, bring the water and bouillon to a boil. (Alternately, you can use 3 quarts beef stock.) When it's pouring, whisk in the roux mixture, making sure any paste-like chunks are broken up.

Reduce the heat to a simmer, and stir in the sugar, salt, seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Simmer 45 minutes, then add the file powder, and return to a simmer for 15 more minutes.

After you add the file, it's time to prep the okra! Dump the cut okra and vinegar into a large skillet over medium-high heat and try to flatten it into a single layer. Pan fry this, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. This will get rid of some of the gunkiness of the okra before you add it to the stew.

When the okra is done, stir it into the gumbo, along with the raw shrimp. Simmer the gumbo an additional hour, stirring regularly so it doesn't stick to the bottom.

Season with salt and tabasco sauce to taste, and serve alone or over white rice.

The Perfect Family Recipe Gumbo

Yield: 16

Author: Mallory

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 3 HourTotal time: 3 H & 15 M

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup bacon drippings (or butter)
2 stalks (about 1 cup) coarsely chopped celery
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 large green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
3 quarts water
6 tsp beef bouillon
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 tsp salt (to taste)
½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend (to taste)
3 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons file powder
2 tablespoons butter
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen cut okra, thawed
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
4 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Instructions

In a large Dutch oven, start melting the bacon drippings and flour over medium-low heat. Continue to cook this roux, whisking constantly, until the color of milk chocolate (like a dark chocolate milk) - this will take at least 15-20 minutes, and possibly up to 45 minutes. Keep whisking constantly so it doesn't burn. In addition to changing colors, it will start to smell nutty, almost like popcorn. When it reaches this level, remove the pan from heat and keep whisking until it stops cooking.
Take the celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic and put them in the bowl of a food processor (you can do this in phases depending on how big the food processor is). Pulse until the ingredients are minced, but not a paste. Dump this into the roux, along with the smoked sausage, and return to heat.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat and let simmer, stirring constantly, about 15 minutes, until the onion is clear. (The roux might seize if it is still hot, which means it won't be a liquid but more of a paste at this point; this is fine and won't hurt the finished product. Just keep stirring with a wooden spoon until the onion is clear.) You can make the gumbo up to this point, and keep the roux mixture in the refrigerator up to 2 days until you're ready to complete the recipe.
In a large Dutch oven, bring the water and bouillon to a boil. (Alternately, you can use 3 quarts beef stock.) When it's pouring, whisk in the roux mixture, making sure any paste-like chunks are broken up.
Reduce the heat to a simmer, and stir in the sugar, salt, seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Simmer 45 minutes, then add the file powder, and return to a simmer for 15 more minutes.
After you add the file, it's time to prep the okra! Dump the cut okra and vinegar into a large skillet over medium-high heat and try to flatten it into a single layer. Pan fry this, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. This will get rid of some of the gunkiness of the okra before you add it to the stew.
When the okra is done, stir it into the gumbo, along with the raw shrimp. Simmer the gumbo an additional hour, stirring regularly so it doesn't stick to the bottom.
Season with salt and tabasco sauce to taste, and serve alone or over white rice.

Calories

303.85

Fat (grams)

13.01

Sat. Fat (grams)

4.66

Carbs (grams)

12.88

Fiber (grams)

1.34

Net carbs

11.54

Sugar (grams)

3.44

Protein (grams)

32.25

Sodium (milligrams)

2074.01

Cholesterol (grams)

264.17

Created using The Recipes Generator