Southern Gumbo Recipes

Steps:

• Make a roux by whisking the flour and 3/4 cup bacon drippings together in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat to form a smooth mixture. Cook the roux, whisking constantly, until it turns a rich mahogany brown color. This can take 20 to 30 minutes; watch heat carefully and whisk constantly or roux will burn. Remove from heat; continue whisking until mixture stops cooking.
• Place the celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the vegetables are very finely chopped. Stir the vegetables into the roux, and mix in the sausage. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat, and cook until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
• Bring the water and beef bouillon cubes to a boil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Stir until the bouillon cubes dissolve, and whisk the roux mixture into the boiling water. Reduce heat to a simmer, and mix in the sugar, salt, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Simmer the soup over low heat for 1 hour; mix in 2 teaspoons of file gumbo powder at the 45-minute mark.
• Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings in a skillet, and cook the okra with vinegar over medium heat for 15 minutes; remove okra with slotted spoon, and stir into the simmering gumbo. Mix in crabmeat, shrimp, and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer until flavors have blended, 45 more minutes. Just before serving, stir in 2 more teaspoons of file gumbo powder.

Steps:

• Combine oil and flour in a large Dutch oven; cook over medium heat until roux is the color of a copper penny.
• Stir in celery, onion, green pepper and garlic; add parsley. Cook 45 minutes to 1 hour stirring occasionally.
• Fry okra in 2 T hot shortening until browned. Add to gumbo and stir well over low heat for a few minutes.
• At this stage, the mixture may be cooled, packaged and frozen or refrigerated for later use.
• Add next 12 ingredients; simmer 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
• About 30 minutes before serving, add chicken, crabmeat and shrimp, simmer 30 minutes. Add oysters during.
• last 10 minutes of simmering period. Stir in molasses.
• Serve over hot rice.

Steps:

• Pour olive oil into a heated soup pot.
• Sauté the onion, bell pepper, and garlic in the oil until tender, but not over done.
• Add celery seed.
• Add V8 juice, tomato sauce, water, tomatoes, okra, and cayenne pepper.
• Bring to a boil and simmer about 10 minutes.
• Stir in fish and cook for approximately 8 more minutes.
• Add shrimp and cook for about 5 more minutes.
• Place a 1/2 cup mound of rice in bowl and ladle gumbo over the rice.
• Serve with a green salad and crusty bread and you have a full meal.

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, saute the onion, celery and green pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the V8 juice, tomatoes and cayenne; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. , Stir in okra and catfish; cook 8 minutes longer. Add the shrimp; cook 7 minutes longer or until shrimp turn pink. Place rice in 12 individual serving bowls; top with gumbo.