My Mothers Gumbo

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Serving Size : 6 servings.
Category : Gumbo


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 cup vegtable oil
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cups chopped bellpepper
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cups chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped green onion or scallions
3 cups okra, fresh is best, but frozen is fine
1 Can Robert's tomatoes
2 pounds medium peeled shrimp (reserve shells)
12 cleaned blue crabs with claws (canned crab
meat can be subsituted)
salt
pepper
tyme
2 bay leaves
cayenne pepper or Lousiana hot sauce to taste
1 gallon seafood stock, or water



Ready, set, cook!



You have got to start any good gumbo with a roux. Take the oil and
gradially heat over a low heat, add the flour to the oil and blend in
till smooth and creamy. This process will take almost an hour if your
heat is right. Just keep stiring the roux, never walk away and leave
it, it will burn. The roux ever so slowy will turn darker and darker.
Once your roux is about the color of a hersheys bar wrapper, then it
is done. Be sure to smell and taste the roux to make sure it did not
burn. If it did, then start over. Once your roux is ready then add in
the bellpepper, onion, celery, and green onion, and garlic. The roux
will thicken but that is not a problem. The browning process of the
roux will stop once you add the bellpepper, onion, celery, and green
onion, and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes, add some salt and pepper to
taste at this point. I always use a cast iron skillet to make the roux
in, and then transfer into a stock pot once I've came this far. Once
in the stock pot, add the seafood stock (this is nothing more than
plain water that has been boiled for awhile with the reserved shrimp
heads, and shells and then strained. A bottle or two of clam juice
added to water can be used also, or just plain water, but the flavor
is more intense with the first two methods) Mix the stock with the
roux very good, and bring to a slow boil, or simmer. Add the tomatoes,
Okra, and more salt and pepper to taste, tyme and bay leaves. Some
people add the shrimp and crabs towards the end, but my mother and me
have always put them in at the beginning to really bring out the
flavor. Does not hurt the shrimp by doing this. They stay together
fine. Season with a little more salt and pepper once you add the
seafood in along with cayenne pepper or hot sauce to taste. Cook gumbo
over a simmer for about an hour and a half. Serve up in big bowls with
a little rice, and some Zatarain's File' powder sprinkled on top. Some
folks eat their gumbo with saltine crackers, but cornbread is great
with this gumbo. Always better the next day! Something else that I add
to my gumbo is cut up smoked sausage. My mother never did this, but
just something I starting doing and like. Hope this recipe works good
for you, it has me. One more thing. To get the very best flavour out
of this gumbo I would strongly recommend using fresh Gulf shrimp and
crabs. The farm raised imported shrimp just doesn't seem to have
enough flavor. Enjoy, Russ

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