gumbo

gumbo is an addiction of mine, but unfortunately i've only been able to get gumbo worth eating at baby kay's in phoenix... it is k.i.l.l.e.r. and obviously i rarely get the treat anymore what with it being thousands of miles away. i often find myself daydreaming about it - the spicy broth, the, the chunks of meat, the trinity, and the french bread. my goodness, the french bread...heavenly days, it makes my mouth water. for quite some time i've been on a search for something close to baby kay's recipe and i think i've finally found something in the ball park. it will take some tweeking, but it's delish on it's own and i suggest you try it. just make sure you serve it with lots of heavily buttered, toasted french bread to soak up all the liquid. because really, that's the best part.

traditionally, gumbo begins with a browned roux, but this one omits that fat and browns the flour in the oven. of course you could always make the roux, but i thought it was fun to bake flour.

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups sliced okra pods (i used frozen okra)
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper (i used orange because i think green peppers are evil)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped celery leaves
2 to 3 tablespoons all that jazz seasoning (recipe below) or store bought cajun seasoning
2 teaspoons salt
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
3 cups of any of the following or a mixture: cooked crawfish tail meat, shredded chicken, andoullie sausage, shrimp, lump crab meat (i used chicken andoullie sausage from tj's)
1 tsp hot sauce (optional - you won't need it if you used andoullie or if you don't want it too spicy)
6 cups hot cooked white rice

preheat oven to 350 degrees.
measure flour and pour onto a pie plate or sheet pan and bake until lightly browned, stirring frequently. (i spread mine out pretty thin and it only took about 5 minutes) cool on a wire rack.
heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. add onion, saute 4 minutes. stir in browned flour, cook 1 minutes, stirring constantly. gradually stir in water and next 8 ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer i hour. stir in meat and hot sauce. bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes. sprinkle with parsley, serve with rice and warm toasted french bread.

all that jazz seasoning: (i halved this)
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup onion powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon ground red pepper
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

recipe from cooking light