Shrove Tuesday Gumbo

Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday is March 8

Here’s a  traditional recipe to start Lent

• 10  oz  andouille sausage  but if you can’t find a good source without nitrates and from quality pork, then  Polish, Italian or any smoked sausage will do.
• 2 cups chicken meat
• raw shrimp (preferably wild)
• ½ cup crab meat

2T lard, tallow or duck fat

• 1 stick organic butter
• file powder
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 whole lemon
• 2 cups okra ( this is optional because some don’t like okra, but I like a more traditional gumbo)
• 2 T fresh parsley
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped bell peppers
• 3 chopped garlic cloves
• 8 medium chopped organic tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped garlic
• 1 sprig fresh  thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne(I like more)
• 1 tsp ground peppercorns
• 1 tsp  Celtic or other whole salt
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 cups dark beer. (Optional but adds depth)
• 2-3 cups  bone stock. (Homemade is best)
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup flour or arrow root for thickening

Directions

Slice sausage and fry in lard, tallow or duck fat until lightly crisp. Remove  sausage and place in a bowl. In the same pan, fry  chicken pieces on both sides. Set to the side with the sausage.

In the same pan, saute chopped onion, celery, bell peppers, okra and garlic  a few minutes until tender. Add more fat if needed.

In a large pot, combine spices, tomatoes, meat, stock and  beer. Bring to a simmer. Add bay leaves and cover.

Make a roux by melting ½ stick butter in a small pan and then sprinkling four into it until it thickens and is slightly browned.  If you’re on a gluten-free diet, do the same with arrowroot powder. You will need to constantly stir this mixture so it doesn't burn.

Add roux to gumbo, cover and simmer for about 2 hour, stirring from time to time.  A few minutes before serving, add the shelled shrimp.  As soon as they pink up, add the juice of the fresh lemon, remove bay leaves, add file powder and serve over cooked rice.

It tastes better the second day, so you might want to prepare this in advance. Incredible!

Serves 8-10