Gumbo....The Perfect Southern Dish On A Snowy Day!!!

Gumbo

Cooking Time 2 Hours; Yields 1 Dozen

Ingredients
3-4 large chicken breasts
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound turkey kielbasa, disks (yes I said turkey, don't tell Tanner he thinks it is beef hehe)
1/2 cup flour
5 T butter
1 large onion, diced
8 cloves garlic, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
4-6 green onion, diced
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 bundle fresh parsley, chopped
4 cups beef stock
28 oz diced tomatoes, strain half the juice off before adding
2 cups okra, diced (use frozen if you can't find fresh, no worries)
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
***2 cups brown rice, optional if you want to make rice
***4 cups beef stock + 1/2 cup water, optional if you want to make rice
***2 T butter, optional if you want to make rice

Cooking Instructions

***TIP: to stay ahead of all your cooking steps by pre cutting all your fresh veggies before you start cooking.  There is a TON of chopping so make it easy on yourself and have it done early vs trying to keep up with the cooking instructions and possible burn something.

1. In a large dutch oven heat olive oil over medium heat
2. Salt and pepper the chicken breasts

3. Brown the chicken breasts on both sides.  You won't fully cook the chicken all the way through, it's ok.  You will remove and dice up your chicken only to finish cooking them later.

4. Brown the kielbasa sausage, about 2 minutes.  Remove and add to the sliced chicken outside of the dutch oven

5. Make a rue by adding butter and flour to the pot. Continue to whisk so the flour won't burn.  Cook this about 2-3 minutes

6. Add onion, garlic, green pepper, celery to the rue and cook for 5 minutes.

 (This is called the holy trinity of gumbo.  You always start with these three things!)

7. To the onion mixture add your Worcestershire (keep your head back when adding to the hot pot, because it can clear your sinuses!) and a pinch of salt to help continue the sweating process of your veggies.  Cook this for an additional 5 minutes.

8. Add parsley, chicken, kielbasa, and beef broth to the dutch oven.  Make sure you really scrape the brown bits off the bottoms of the pan when adding liquid, that's where all your flavor is for the gumbo!  Simmer for 30 minutes, and continue to stir every 10 minutes, so your ingredients don't stick to the bottoms of your dutch oven pot.

9. After you have simmered for 30 minutes add your diced tomatoes and okra to the dutch oven.  Simmer this for an additional 45-60 minutes.

***TIP: I start my rice here so it is finished when the gumbo is done.  I just use butter,  brown rice, and beef stock vs water to add more flavor.  Cook according to the instructions on the back of the rice container.  This is totally optional but I like to ladle the gumbo over rice and so does my husband!
***TIP: if the sauce isn't thick enough after the 45 minutes, mix corn starch (1 T) and water (splash) together and add to the dutch oven mixture.  This little trick will thicken up anything and you won't taste it in your gumbo
10. Before serving add your shrimp and green onions.  This only needs about 2-3 minutes to cook.  You will know it's done when the shrimp turn pink and start to curl

11. To serve, place a little rice in the bottoms of a deep bowl and ladle the gumbo over the top.  I also like a hearty piece of bread to help soak up any extra gumbo left in my bowl

12. Enjoy!!!