Good Ol' Gumbo

This is a great recipe for anyone who wants to try out their hand making authentic gumbo for the first time. It may seem like a lot, but don't let it scare you. It's easier than it looks. I like using chicken and shrimp in mine but you can use just about any kind of meat(s) you want. For those of you who don't realy like okra, good news, you can leave out that part if you want. It'll still taste great. Well, have fun cooking and enjoy! P.S. Cooking this goes great with a beer!;)

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 onion
• 1  large bell pepper
• 1 (14 1/2ounce) can whole tomatoes
• 1 (10 ounce) bag frozen cut okra
• 3  stalks celery
• 3  tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1⁄2 teaspoon oregano
• 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄2 cup  cooking oil
• 3  tablespoons butter
• 3  tablespoons  oil
• 3  tablespoons flour
• 2 (14 1/2ounce) cans  chicken stock, and 1 1/2 cup of that to set aside for roux mixture
•  chicken meat or  shrimp or   seafood, thoroughly washed
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper

• for extra flavor

• 1⁄2 teaspoon  Tony Chachere's Seasoning
• 4 -6  drops  louisiana hot sauce

Directions

1. You'll need a large cooking pot and 1 frying pan (iron skillets always work best for this).
2. Cut up chicken into cubes and start boiling it in the large cooking pot. Let chicken cook until step # 13. May need to keep adding water as it boils down.
3. Dice onions, bell pepper, and celery then set aside (a.k.a. the ‘trinity’).
4. Heat the ½ cup cooking oil in pan then add okra and cook for 15-18 minutes (browned a little bit) then set the okra aside.
5. Put the 3 tablespoons of butter in the 2nd large cooking pot, heat it up and start sautéing the onions, bell pepper, and celery (trinity) for 10 minutes. You’ll want to burn it a bit to help add flavor to the gumbo.
6. Add the large can of tomatoes along with it’s juices and smash up the tomatoes as you stir.
7. Add the 2 cups of chicken stock, 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, ½ tspn. oregano, ½ tspn. Garlic powder, and okra, excluding the okra oil.
8. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
9. *While that’s cooking make your roux:
10. In frying pan heat 3 tablespoons oil up on med high.
11. Add 3 tablespoons of flour, and brown till you get a dark chocolate color , stirring constantly (this is the stinky part of making gumbo, but necessary).
12. Once brown, add the 1 ½ cup of chicken stock to make a gravy. Stir out all the lumps with whisk and set aside.
13. After the 30 minutes cooking time is up, add the roux and meat(s) to the pot.
14. Add salt and pepper (and Tony Chachere’s Seasoning & Louisiana Hot Sauce).
15. Cover again and cook for additional 30 minutes.
16. Serve over rice or eat as a soup.