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Monday's with Michelle: Gumbo!

Welcome to Monday's with Michelle!


This time of year everyone is always so busy. Seems like evenings are spent Christmas shopping, or party planning and weekends are spent doing the same, in addition to making dishes for holiday potlucks and gatherings. That being said, regular dinner planning tends to turn into, "what drive-thru are we going to." This is where one of my favorite dishes comes in, Gumbo! It's perfect for this chilly weather and you can make a big batch and have leftovers for days! Cheers to leftovers! Check out my gumbo recipe below....
Michelle's Gumbo topped with brown rice and green onions!

Michelle's Gumbo
Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound andouille sausage cut into bit sized pieces
  • 1 pound chicken (I used thighs, but use whatever you like, just remove skin/bones and cut to bite sized pieces)
  • 1 pound peeled deveined shrimp
  • 1 green bell pepper chopped
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 celery stalks chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil (plus a tablespoon or 2)
  • 1/2 cup of flour
  • 2 cups frozen sliced okra
  • 2 32 oz cartons of chicken stock (or make it homemade)
  • Michelle's essence to taste
  • White spice to taste
  • cayenne to taste (if you like)
  • chopped green onions to garnish

Instructions: 
  1. Add a tablespoon of oil  to a large pot or dutch over over medium heat and cook your sausage until done. Once done remove from the pot and set aside.
  2. In the same pot add your chicken, be sure to season. Once done remove from the pot and set aside.
  3. In the same pot add 1/2 cup of oil and 1/2 cup of flour to make your roux. Constantly stir to prevent burning. You want it to be a nice dark color (some call it a black roux, but you are looking for a nice mahogany color) , this will take about 20 minutes to get the right color/flavor
  4. Add your chopped onion, bell pepper and celery to your pot. Cook for a few minutes, until onions are translucent. 
  5. Add the sausage and bay leaves and mix well cooking for a few minutes. Be sure to season at this stage (add the cayenne now if you are using it.)
  6. Slowly add your stock while stirring to incorporate everything (you may or may not use all the stock, use your judgement on desired consistency). Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for about 45 minutes to an hour.
  7. Add the okra and chicken and simmer for another hour. 
  8. About 15 minutes before your hour is up add the shrimp and return to a simmer for the remainder of the cooking time.
  9. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking (don't forget to remove the bay leaves!).
  10. Serve over rice (white or brown) and garnish with chopped green onions.
(Printable recipe can be found here.)

I know this recipe can seem a little daunting, but it is very simple... it just takes a little bit of time to develop that delicious flavor. Trust me it is totally worth it when you have a few days of yummy leftovers. You can always add a fresh green salad to brighten up the meal a little. I hope you enjoy it!

Make sure you stop by my foodie blog for other scrumptious recipes and foodie fun! Thanks for reading! See you back here next Monday!



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