Mama just made a great gumbo! That's all there is to it. She always made a pot when I came home to visit. I miss this gumbo and I miss her. I've adjusted and changed the recipe to make it a bit easier. You don't have to add chicken either, but I love it with chicken!
Ingredients
1 large fryer chicken (optional - I don't usually bother. I know - bad me. It's much better with it!)
1/2 gallon shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 c cooking oil (I use part olive oil and part butter)
salt & pepper to taste
8 to 12 pods of okra, cut in slices
2 large onions (chopped medium)
6 tbsp flour for roux
4 cups chicken stock
cooked rice
Optional Ingredients that I like to add. (I like it spicy; Mama didn't.)
Here's what I use to jazz it up:
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
cayenne pepper (sparingly)
cumin
bit of hot sauce or I sometimes throw in a whole jar of medium-spicy salsa
1 large fryer chicken (optional - I don't usually bother. I know - bad me. It's much better with it!)
1/2 gallon shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 c cooking oil (I use part olive oil and part butter)
salt & pepper to taste
8 to 12 pods of okra, cut in slices
2 large onions (chopped medium)
6 tbsp flour for roux
4 cups chicken stock
cooked rice
Optional Ingredients that I like to add. (I like it spicy; Mama didn't.)
Here's what I use to jazz it up:
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
cayenne pepper (sparingly)
cumin
bit of hot sauce or I sometimes throw in a whole jar of medium-spicy salsa
Steps
- Stew one large fryer chicken in a large pot or pressure cooker about 2/3 full of water.
- When done, drain chicken - keeping broth set aside; debone chicken, shred, and put in a bowl.
- In a large soup pot, fry chopped onions (and celery / peppers, if using) in 1/3 cup oil until just cooked. Add garlic and okra (if using) and stir for a couple of minutes. Remove from oil and set aside.
- Add a bit more oil and some butter to the soup pot. Heat up, but don't let it smoke. Add about 6 tbsp flour to the hot oil. Stir CONSTANTLY over medium heat until milk chocolate in color - do NOT burn!
- When the roux (flour and oil mixture) is ready, quickly pour in the onion mixture and stir, stir, stir for a minute.
- Add 4 cups of chicken broth and stir.
- Add 1/2 gallon of shrimp that has been peeled and deveined and previously cooked, shredded chicken (if desired). Cook over medium heat until all comes to a boil.
- Lower heat, spices, salt, and pepper. Simmer until right consistency.
- Serve over rice.
