Eat It

Instructions

1

Start by making a medium roux by whisking the flour and 3/4 cup of bacon drippings in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat to form a smooth mixture. Cook the roux, whisking once a minute, until it turns a rich mahogany brown color. This can take 20 to 30 minutes. While keeping an eye on the roux to make sure it doesn't burn, you may want to clean and shell the shrimp and chop your sausage and vegetables. When the roux is a rich brown, remove from heat and continue whisking until mixture cools.
2

Place the celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the vegetables are 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, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3

Bring the water and beef bouillon to a boil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Stir until the bouillon cubes dissolve, then 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 after 45 minutes.
4

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.

Ingredients

Instructions