Creole Gumbo

Since I already posted the Jambalya, I thought I better include the gumbo recipe too.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup  chopped onion
• 1  clove garlic, minced
• 3  teaspoons butter or 3  teaspoons margarine
• 3  teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (16 ounce) can tomatoes, cut up
• 1 1⁄2 cups water
• 1⁄2 cup green pepper, chopped
• 2  bay leaves
• 1  teaspoon  dried, crushed oregano
• 1  teaspoon dried thyme
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4-1⁄2 teaspoon  bottled hot pepper sauce
• 2  cups fresh okra or 2  cups frozen okra
• 2 (4 1/2ounce) cans shrimp, drained
• 1 (7 ounce) can  crabmeat, drained,flaked and cartilage removed
•  hot, cooked rice

Directions

1. Cook onion and garlic in butter until onion is tender.
2. Stir in flour.
3. Cook, stirring constantly until flour is browned.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, water, green pepper, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, salt and hot sauce.
5. Bring to boil.
6. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
7. Remove bay leaves.
8. Stir in the okra.
9. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
10. Stir shrimp and crab meat into okra mixture.
11. Cook about 5 minutes longer or until heated through.
12. Serve gumbo over hot rice.
13. (Traditionally, rice is mounded in heated soup plates and the gumbo is spooned around it).