Authentic Cajun Gumbo

I got this recipe from a friend of mine. It is awesome! It makes a lot and it freezes fantastically, so make a huge pot and freeze some for an easy homemade meal on a hectic day. It's warm, homey and so magically delicious. You will love it.

Chopping onions makes me cry! Haaa!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 cup olive oil

2 chopped large onions

2 chopped green peppers

1/2 head of celery, chopped

5-6 cups of chicken or veggie broth

chopped okra (as much as you want. I put in about 12-15 pieces - you can omit it if you aren't an okra person)

Protein - about 2-3 pounds total - my husband isn't a fan of seafood, so I used chicken and smoked turkey sausage in mine. I would imagine that about any protein would be fantastic in this (See below for protein ideas)
Cajun seasoning - about a tbsp or so

1 bunch of chopped green onions/scallions

File powder to garnish (Filé powder, also called gumbo filé, is a spice made from dried and ground sassafras leaves. It is used in the making of some types of gumbo, a Creole and Cajun soup/stew. It is sprinkled sparingly over gumbo as a seasoning and a thickening agent, giving it a distinctive flavor and texture. Filé can provide thickening when okra is not in season)

Cooked brown or white rice


Directions:

Place the flour and oil in a large pot on medium heat. Stir constantly, slowly burning the mixture, making a roux about 20-30 minutes. (You know it is done when it is the color of chocolate.)

When your roux is done, add the vegetables and some cajun seasoning. Stir until vegetables are tender. Add chicken stock and simmer for 2-4 hours.

My roux looked chocolatey - time to add the veggies!

Time to simmer all day long!

Chopping the chicken. Bestill my beating heart.

About 15 minutes before you are ready to serve, add your meat. Choose any meat you like, the more variation you use, the better it is: shrimp, scallops, smoked sausage, crab, crawfish tails or cooked, shredded chicken. (Use a total of about 2-3 pounds of meat.) Bring to a boil and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

This is the pic before I skimmed off the oil.

Skim the top layer of oil off.

After skimming the oil off and adding the protein.

Put rice in bottom of bowl and add gumbo on top.

Garnish w/ green onions. Serve w/ a sprinkling of file powder and cajun seasoning.

This gumbo is rockin'! I love it. The file powder is essential. Try to find some if you plan on making this. Trust me...you will not find a better gumbo than this one.