Trying this again...
Here's the gumbo recipe as it was given to me. I vary it a little, but not that much.

1/2 lb smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup coarsely chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed, or 2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups chicken broth (use the low-sodium, low-fat kind)
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, or 3 cups fresh diced roma or plum tomatoes, plus 1/2 cup water
1-2 teaspoon creole seasoning
4 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts


Cook sausage over high heat in large saucepot 5 minutes, stirring often.

Remove and drain on paper towels. Add enough oil to drippings in
saucepot to equal appx. 3 tablespoons, and whisk in flour; cook over
medium-high heat, whisking constantly, 5 minutes, or until roux is
golden brown. Add onion, celery, garlic and bell pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in broth, tomatoes and creole seasoning. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 7-10 minutes. Add sausage and chicken; simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Serve over rice.


The really great thing about gumbo is that you can change it up... use
shrimp instead of sausage, use yellow peppers with the green ones, etc.
You can really take a basic recipe like this and make it your own. I
usually serve it with thick slices of toasted sourdough bread.

Do play with it. If you can't find creole seasoning, use 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon good paprika. Maybe some onion powder, but only a dash or two.

You can turn the heat up or down on this one just by adjusting the pepper.

It usually doesn't need any salt because of the sausage, but taste varies so keep that in mind.

As to what it's like... it's like a thick soup or a thin stew, with chunks of stuff in it and a strong tomato/onion/pepper/celery taste. Put it over rice and it will fill you quickly, and on a cold damp night it's the best thing in the world. Serve it with a good lager or a mild dark beer and it's perfection.

EDIT: damn, had the little window still open! Gah...
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Sun 12 Oct 2008, 17:49, Reply)