The World's Most Delicious New Orleans Style Gumbo Recipe

"RoRo's Shrimp & Okra File' Gumbo"

Makes approximately 16 nice servings (16oz) - freezes very well - Should be served over white rice.

Make sure to have rice ready, 'cause you and whoever is near will want to eat it as soon as it's done

Large Pot - approx. 10 Qts
White Flour - 2 cups - plain or all purpose - don't use self-rising
Vegetable Oil - 1 cup + some
Chicken Broth - 2 15oz cans + maybe some of one more
Kitchen Bouquet - 3-4 Tbs
Tomato Sauce - 12 oz
Water - 6 15oz cans

Shrimp - 3 1/2 Lbs - peeled & deveined
(You can also add oysters, crab meat (pick it well to remove shells) or gumbo crabs (small crabs with top shell and innards removed and broken in half) if you desire. Some people add fish as well, but we don't like fish in our gumbo, so we don't do it.

Onions - 5 medium - MINCED
Celery - 3.4 bunch - MINCED
Large Bell Pepper - 1.2 - MINCED
Cut Frozen Okra - 20oz bag

Salt - 5 1/2 Tsp
Bay Leaves - 2 large
Granulated Garlic - 2 Tsp
Ground Oregano - 1/4 Tsp
Sweet Leaf Basil - 1 Tsp
Cayenne Pepper - 1 Tsp
File' - 3 TBS (powdered sassafras leaves)

Make a medium brown roux: Heat FLOUR in 1 cup of the OIL on medium high heat until flour turns brown - stirring constantly.) Safety warning: Roux gets very hot… DO NOT let it splash on your skin.

Put it on the side (or you can be making the roux while the rest is cooking, because you add it later. You can even make it in advance, and just keep it in a covered jar in the fridge, it will last for weeks)

Coat bottom of pot with OIL and cook ONIONS, CELERY, BELL PEPPER and OKRA until soft. (Okra will still be a little slimy, that's OK),
then add (2 CANS) CHICKEN BROTH, WATER and TOMATO SAUCE.
Stir the pot and then add the SALT, BAY LEAVES, GRANULATED GARLIC, GROUND OREGANO, BASIL and CAYENNE PEPPER.

Bring this all to a simmer and simmer until veggies are mushy (approx. 50 minutes) Stirring often.

Add 2 cups of ROUX (it will be thick, but it will dissolve), then add KITCHEN BOUQUET and simmer for 20 minutes

Add SHRIMP (see note below for other seafood suggestions) to use in addition to the shrimp or in place of shrimp and simmer an additional 20 minutes

Add FILE' and stir the pot - If you need to thin the gumbo, use a little CHICKEN BROTH

Ladle the gumbo over a bed of rice, and serve the spicy delicious concoction to delighted guests!

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