Gumbo...

...oooh weee, start with a big pot

• In 2 Tbl vegetable oil, sauté the “trinity”, which is
• 1½ cups diced onion,
• 1½ cups diced green bell pepper, and
• 1½ cups diced celery, and then also add
• 1 cup of fresh sliced baby okra. Cover so the steam helps cooking and prevents burning. Stir occasionally until vegetables are soft.

Meanwhile make your roux in a frying pan

• ½ cup melted butter and
• ¾ cup flour

Stir constantly over medium heat and cook until the roux is as brown as you can get it without burning it. The darker the better, but if it burns, you have to start over. When all is done, incorporate the roux into the pot of vegetables. Add

• 12 cups of vegetable stock
• 1 regular sized can of diced tomatoes without most of the liquid
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 2 tsp ground oregano
• Black pepper to taste
• Sweet & hot red pepper flakes to taste…gumbo should have some heat. Simmer until things come together…maybe 20-30 minutes. Then add
• ¾ - 1 cup uncooked rice and final ingredients listed below and simmer another 20-30 minutes.

Here’s where you can get more creative. For a vegetarian gumbo you can add

• Fresh chopped greens…this is called gumbo vert and is big during Lent
• Cooked black-eyed peas or similar beans

Other options include

• Shrimp
• Crawdads
• Oysters
• Clams
• Scallops
• Crab
• Chicken
• Sausage…like Andouille, Boudin, or Chaurice

I made mine with

• 3 cans of clams without most of the liquid
• 1 lb of lump and whole crab leg meat