New Orleans Gumbo with Shrimp and Sausage

INGREDIENTS:

ROUX:

• ½ cup high heat oil, such as canola, corn, or vegetable
• ½ cup all purpose flour

GUMBO:

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 bell peppers (I used ½ of each red, green, yellow, orange – see note), diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 bay leaves
• 8 ounces andouille sausage, sliced (I used Tofurky)
• 2 tablespoons EACH: cajun seasoning AND tabasco sauce (more or less to taste)
• 1 tablespoon cayenne (omit if you want it mild)
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5 ounce can) stewed tomatoes and juices, roughly diced
• 1 ½ pounds raw shrimp
• 2 teaspoons gumbo filé
• sliced scallions + white rice or quinoa, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

ROUX:

1. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or a heavy bottom pot over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour until combined and smooth. Switch to a wooden spoon and continuously stir for 15-22 minutes or until the roux darkens to just past a deep peanut butter color. Do not let the roux burn! (if you smell it burning, you will need to throw is out, clean the pot, and start over, unfortunately there’s just no saving burnt roux!)
2. Once the roux reaches that deep rich brown color, stir in the onions, bell peppers, and celery and continue to cook, stirring as needed so the vegetables don’t stick. About 8-10 minutes or until the veggies soften. Add the garlic, andouille sausage (if using tofurky, do not add yet), and bay leaves. Continue to cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until the garlic is nice and fragrant.
3. Add the cajun seasoning, tabasco sauce, and cayenne along with the chicken broth and stewed tomatoes and bring to a high simmer before lowering the heat to medium-low, covering and simmering for 15-20 minutes.
4. IF USING TOFURKY: Add a teaspoon of oil to a skillet over medium high heat. Add the slices and cook for a quick 90 seconds (turning half way) just to sear the outside before adding to the gumbo.
5. Add the shrimp and tofurky (if using) to the gumbo, give it a stir and allow to continue to simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the shrimp is opaque and the veggies have softened. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Add the gumbo filé and stir. Remove bay leaves before serving.

TO SERVE:

1. Serve warm with white rice or quinoa with sliced scallions on top.

NOTES:

1. You don’t have to use all the colors for the bell peppers. I just really enjoy the taste that they bring to the party! You can use 1 green and 1 red bell pepper and still achieve a similar flavor.
2. Tofurky is a sausage that’s completely meatless. You can use the Andouille variety, which is a little difficult to find or the Kielbasa which most grocery stores carry.
3. 1 (14.5 ounce can) diced tomatoes can be used in place of the stewed tomatoes as they can be hard to find sometimes.
4. Gumbo filé – available in the ethnic food aisle near where they keep the cajun seasonings. It’s basically ground leaves from the sassafras tree.
5. Also, please keep in mind that this recipe has not been tested with any other ingredients than what is written. For best results, I suggest following the recipe as is (with the exception of spices to taste).

http://littlespicejar.com/new-orleans-gumbo-shrimp-sausage/