make a roux. heat the oil and add the flour. you have to stir like hell. this is the base of gumbo, it has to be right. its basicly a gravy. you darken the flour till its real dark brown, almost black. if you burn it toss it. make it ahead of time and let it cool. the oil and flour will seperate. you can pour off the oil leaving the roux.
The veggies have to be diced realy fine too. gumbo is a blend of flavors and large chunks of veggies dont help.
saute the sausage to render the fat. removethe sausagewhen browned. add diced chicken and brown in the sausage fat. remove when brown. add onion and garlic. sautee till the onions become clear. add bell pepper and celery. sautee till soft. add abita only to keep from burning. add roux too the veggies and sautee them for a couple minutes, coating the well. then add the abitas and stock. cook as long as you want. the broth should be fairly thick and smell like roux. add liberaly the spices. after an hour or so add the chicken and sausage and cook for 20 or 30 minutes. add more spices at this time. add the parsly and green onion at the end. pour over rice in a big bowl and consume. the rice should barely be covered by broth. at this time we add hot sauce and file (ground sassafras leaves). I like to add thinly sliced tobasco peppers to my gumbo. tomatoes do not belong in gumbo, and any other veggis than what I listed. gumbo developed over 200 years and it does not need adjustment. Okra isa the only exception. okra was the original ingredient in gumbo. it becomes slimy in a long boil. if you want it add the diced okra at the end with the green onion and parsly.
seafood gumbo is the same minus the sausage. just add shrimp, crab and oysters. seafood gumbo is completely different in taste. treat them differently.
enjoy
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