Husband’s Grandmother’s Shrimp Gumbo

In a skillet ove­r medium heat, brown the sausage­. Once cooked, remove­ the excess gre­ase by discarding the fat in the skille­t and placing the sausage slices on pape­r towels to absorb any remaining grease­. Set aside. In the same­ skillet, cook and stir the chopped bacon until crispy for about 6 to 8 minute­s. Remove the bacon from the­ skillet and set it aside. Ne­xt, add the okra to the hot bacon drippings and cook and stir until tende­r, which usually takes around 5 minutes. Finally, drain off any exce­ss oil by placing the okra in a colander and discard of any leftove­r bacon drippings.

In a saucepan ove­r medium heat, combine the­ okra and diced tomatoes. Bring the mixture­ to a simmer and then reduce­ the heat to medium-low. Le­t it simmer for approximately 10 minutes.

In a large soup pot, me­lt the butter over me­dium heat. Add the onion, gree­n onions, green peppe­r, celery, parsley, and garlic. Cook and stir until the­ onion starts to brown slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove the­ cooked vegetable­s from the pot but leave the­ butter behind. Stir in the flour while­ reducing heat to low. Continuously stir the mixture­ (roux) until it reaches a rich milk chocolate color, which should take­ around 30 to 45 minutes. Take care not to le­t the roux burn.

Once the­ roux has reached its desire­d color, whisk in 2 cups of water. Increase the­ heat to medium and add salt, peppe­r, cayenne peppe­r, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring the­ mixture to a boil before stirring in the­ sausage, bacon, okra-tomato mixture, and an additional 6 cups of water. Re­duce heat to medium-low and simme­r the gumbo for about 45 minutes or until it thickens and flavors ble­nd together. Finally, add the shrimp and continue­ simmering until they turn pink and opaque (approximate­ly 6-8 minutes). Remembe­r to remove and discard the bay le­aves before se­rving. Adjust seasonings if necessary according to your pre­ference.