Gumbo

Source: Vice.com

Click here to read about my experience making this recipe for my state meal challenge!

Servings: 6

Total time: 3 1/2+ hours

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup flour
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 6 cups chicken broth, warmed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 Tbs Cajun seasoning
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• Kosher salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 cup (about 6 oz) fresh or frozen okra
• 1 lb chicken thighs, seared or broiled and diced 
• 1 lb andouille sausage, sliced
• 1 lb uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tsp file powder

DIRECTIONS

• Prepare your diced celery, pepper, and onion first and keep them close to the stove.
• In a large, heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, preheat the vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk constantly anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour, until the roux turns the same color as melted chocolate. DO NOT walk away from it or it will burn and you’ll have to start over! 
• Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery to the roux, along with a pinch of salt. Stir to coat and bring to a simmer over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. 
• Gradually whisk in the warmed chicken broth. (If you put it in cold, it will cause your roux to clump.) 
• Reduce heat to a simmer and add in the garlic, bay leaves, Cajun seasoning, thyme, cayenne pepper, paprika, kosher salt, and pepper to taste. (Cajun chefs say to freshly crack pepper into the pot until your arms get tired, and then you’ll know you’ve put in enough! I put in about 1 tsp.) 
• In a skillet, saute the sausage until browned and set aside. Do the same to the okra, then add the sausage, okra, and chicken to the pot and stir to mix. 
• Bring the heat up to a slow boil and keep it there for 30 minutes, then stir in the shrimp and the file powder.
• Reduce heat to low again and simmer for at least 1 hour.  The longer it simmers, the better the flavor will be!
• Serve over white rice with hot sauce to taste! 

NOTES

• Some people recommend making gumbo the day before serving because it only gets better the longer it sits!
• If you don’t have file powder, you can use a cornstarch slurry. I didn’t do this myself, though, so I don’t know how much you’d need to use for this recipe, sorry.