Damn it, I'm Gumbo

I think of New Orleans all the time...well maybe not all the time...but a lot, and its awesome food. Nothing like a yummy gumbo to warm up a cold winter night. I remember eating at The Gumbo Shop on our last night in New Orleans way too many years ago; I had red beans and rice even though it wasn't Monday and it was awesome, so was the place.  We sat in the courtyard and I could just hear Stanley screaming: Stellaaaaaa!!!!! Aw, the memories.

So I went and got me some shrimp and some andouille sausage and made us some gumbo. OK so I didn't use a recipe from the Gumbo shop which I usually do but I used the one from the New York Times Magazine a few years ago when they had an article on Eula Mae Dore, and boy oh boy, this woman could cook: Here we go y'all.

Andouille Sausage-and-Shrimp Gumbo

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound andouille smoked sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices (chorizo may be substituted)

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup chopped yellow onions

1/2 cup seeded and chopped green bell pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups sliced fresh okra or 1 (10-ounce) package frozen sliced okra, thawed

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/8 teaspoon cayenne, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco

2 bay leaves

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions, green parts only

Cooked long-grain white rice (optional).

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring frequently, until brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a bowl.

2. In the same skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is light brown, about 2 minutes. Add the onions, bell peppers and garlic and cook, scraping the brown bits from the bottom, until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Add the sausage, okra, salt, cayenne, Tabasco and bay leaves. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Reduce the heat to low, stir in the shrimp and green onions and simmer just until the shrimp turn pink, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and season to taste with more salt and cayenne. Serve in soup bowls, over hot rice if you choose. Serves 6 to 8.

This does not make 6 to 8 servings by the way, probably 4 if you're lucky so make a lot.

Max is still not amused. His little head is saying "OK, enough with this shellfish stuff, and what the heck is okra? Ugh it's so goopy, disgusting"