Homemade Gumbo in the Freezer is like Money in the Bank!

             This has been a bit of a crappy week.  I have felt horrible: headache, sore throat, weak.  See- sawing between being hot, being cold and both at the same time.  Pretty much like the outdoor temperature,  although today is quite nice. We have had the darkest April on record which may have something to do with the general failure of my seedlings.  Germination and death or germination and stunted growth seems to be the theme.  I may have to scrap starting my plants by seeds this year.  Sure, I will be able to find herbs, coleus, marigolds even an heirloom tomato or two.  Will I be able to find purple okra, red corn, strawberry spinach etc?  I think not.

My pants that I ordered on line did not fit, even though I have ordered the same size from the same company for years.  The morning paper was not on my porch this morning, or anywhere to be seen. I just killed a bee inside my house and now I worry that I have upset the whole ecosystem.  And I just found out that Johnny Depp was just across the street from me and didn't even bother to visit. Really Johnny? 


I am the biggest baby when it comes to feeling poorly.  Everything is so difficult.  Decisions are nearly  impossible to make.  What color socks to wear today?  What should I have for dinner? 


It is great to open the freezer and find a container of homemade soup just waiting for a day like this.  Pop in the fridge in the morning, whip up a quick cornbread in the evening and presto- Bob's your uncle- you have a bowl of cheer. Brilliant! Suddenly the day is not rainy it's a little bit soft.  Well tuck in!   Hmm...maybe I've watched too much BBC this week.  

The soup I had in the freezer was a gumbo with andouille sausage left over from Marti Gras dinner.  The first time we had the soup I also added some left-over chicken.  This time I am having it with the andouille only for me and the addition of shrimp for Bean.   


Gumbo Soup with Andouille Sausage

• 2 links of Andouille sausage
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, green and yellow (sometimes I use all green or green and red)
• 3/4 lb of okra, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
• 15 oz of canned tomatoes, chopped and with juice
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Tbl creole seasoning ( I made a mix based on Emeril's Essence)
• 1Tbl of Worcestershire sauce 
• vegetable oil - 2T then an additional 1/3 of a cup
• 2/3 cup of flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• green onions, sliced

Heat 2T of oil in the bottom of large heavy saucepan and add the links of andouille sausage to brown about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage and add an additional 1/3 cup of oil and the flour to make the roux.  Creole recipes call for the roux to be cooked until it is the color of peanut butter and Cajun recipes, the color of dark chocolate.  This process takes a while, so you can use the time to cut up the vegetables. Then sit down with a cup of tea.

The word gumbo comes from the West African word for okra, so I always like to include some.  Some people think the texture is too gelatinous, but I've never had a problem with it.  Bell peppers, onion and celery are often referred to as the "holy trinity" of Creole and Cajun cooking.

After 30 minutes the roux went from very pale to peanut butter color very quickly.  I cooked it for an additional ten minutes, but it did not get much darker.  I decided to use it as is and added the vegetables.

The vegetables (minus the tomatoes) and garlic were sauted in the roux for about 10 minutes. Yes I know- it looks weird!  The tomatoes, chicken stock and spices were then added to the pot and the mixture was simmered for about 40 minutes.  The sliced andouille and green onions were added to the mix and cooked for 30 minutes more.  Serve over rice.


If the soup looks too thick at any point, you can add some "water sauce".  I remember a couple of pointers from my Uncle Tony when he made his delicious spaghetti sauce: Always saute the tomato paste and the importance of water sauce if it's too thick. 

A little effort on a day when you are feeling chipper will serve you well on a future day when you are decidedly not.