Good New Orleans Creole Gumbo

I am going to give you my Creole gumbo recipe. I learned to cook from my mother and grandmother who were born and raised in New Orleans and really knew how to cook. Most of the time, you could not get them to write down their recipes because they used a 'pinch' of this and 'just enough of that' and 'two fingers of water,' and so on. This recipe is a combination of both of their recipes which I have added to over the years. Serve over hot cooked rice. The gumbo can be frozen or refrigerated and many people like it better the next day. Bon appetit!

• Preparation Time: 60 mins
• Cooking Time: 2 hr
• Total Time: 3 hr
• Calories: 283 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• salt to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 3 quarts water
• 6 cubes beef bouillon
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup coarsely chopped celery
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 pound lump crabmeat
• 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
• 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco®), or to taste
• 3 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 large green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• ¾ cup bacon drippings
• ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend (such as Tony Chachere's®), or to taste
• 4 teaspoons file powder, divided
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen cut okra, thawed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Whisk together flour and 3/4 cup bacon drippings in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until smooth. Cook roux, whisking constantly, until it turns a rich mahogany brown color. This can take 20 to 30 minutes; watch heat carefully and whisk constantly or roux will burn. Remove from heat; continue whisking until mixture stops cooking.

Step 2

Place celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse until all vegetables are very finely chopped. Stir vegetables into the roux, and mix in sausage. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat, and cook until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Step 3

Combine water and beef bouillon cubes in a large Dutch oven or soup pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until bouillon cubes dissolve, then whisk roux mixture into the boiling water.

Step 4

Reduce heat to a simmer, and mix in sugar, salt, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Simmer soup over low heat for 1 hour; mix in 2 teaspoons of file gumbo powder at the 45-minute mark.

Step 5

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons bacon drippings in a skillet over medium heat. Add okra and vinegar and cook for 15 minutes; remove okra with a slotted spoon, and stir into the simmering gumbo.

Step 6

Mix in crabmeat, shrimp, and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer until flavors have blended, 45 more minutes. Stir in 2 more teaspoons of file gumbo powder just before serving.