Stovetop
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
6 Tbs (3/4 stick) butter
¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 large onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 large sweet green pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)
1 large tomato, peeled and chopped
½ Tbs Tabasco
1 tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbs fresh thyme, minced
½ tsp fresh oregano, minced
¼ tsp dried hot red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 Tbs safflower oil
2 cups sliced fresh okra
1 tsp white vinegar
1 lb spicy sausage (such as andouille or kielbasa), cut into rounds
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ lb cooked crabmeat, flaked
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp gumbo filè flour
Hot cooked white rice
Tomato Sauce with Nicoise Olives
Ingredients:
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
6 oz sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and cut into fine julienne strips
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
½ cup Nicoise olives, pitted and chopped
Preparation:
In a large, heavy soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until flour browns and forms a roux. Add the onion, celery, green pepper and garlic. Stir and cook until onion is soft. Stir in the chicken stock and cook for five minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan for any browned bits. Add tomato, Tabasco, paprika, cayenne, thyme, oregano, dried red pepper and bay leaf. Reduce heat and simmer five minutes.
Meanwhile in a large, heavy skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the okra and vinegar, and cook for five to six minutes. Add cooked okra and any liquid to the soup pot. Add the sausage to the soup pot; cover and cook over low heat for 45 to 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, poach shrimp in boiling water to cover until just pink. Drain and add shrimp to soup pot along with flaked crabmeat. Taste and adjust seasoning, add salt and pepper, to taste. Remove gumbo from heat and stir in filè powder. Let sit, covered for five minutes.
Spoon hot rice into individual soup bowls and ladle gumbo over.
Gilbertie, Sal. Kitchen Herbs: The Art and Enjoyment of Growing Herbs and Cooking with Them: New York, Bantam Books, 1988.