Good New Orleans Creole Gumbo

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• ¾ cup bacon drippings

• 1 cup coarsely chopped celery

• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped

• 1 large green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced

• 3 quarts water

• 6 cubes beef bouillon

• 1 tablespoon white sugar

• salt to taste

• 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco®), or to taste

• ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend (such as Tony Chachere's®), or to taste

• 4 bay leaves

• ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves

• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes

• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce

• 4 teaspoons file powder, divided

• 2 tablespoons bacon drippings

• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen cut okra, thawed

• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

• 1 pound lump crabmeat

• 3 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Description

1. Gather all ingredients.

   

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2. Make the roux: 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.

   

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3. Make the gumbo: 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.

4. 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.

   

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5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

   

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9. Serve hot and enjoy!