I grew up eating gumbo every winter. Mother used my grandfather’s recipe. We called him Papa Jack. It made what Mama called a Texas Gumbo with shrimp, sausage and chicken. It’s really the only gumbo I knew until I became an adult. It’s still my favorite with Memaw’s Duck Gumbo coming in second. I’ll share those recipes with you this winter. I’m not sure why I associate gumbo cooking with cool weather, but I do. A few summers ago, I decided to try my luck with a summer version. My first version did not have sausage, but Lou asked me to add some. Shrimp would be great added, but I didn’t have any in the freezer. This gumbo would make a great dish for your Friday Night Porch Party. Gumbos can feed a lot of people.
Summer Gumbo
Ingredients:
1 Rotisserie chicken, deboned and chopped into bite size pieces
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (optional)
1 stick of butter
2 medium onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup flour
12 cups chicken stock
1 cup whipping cream
1 pound link sausage cut into bite size quartered pieces
1 28-ounce package frozen okra (use less if you aren't an okra fan)
2 tablespoons cooking sherry
Salt and white pepper to taste
Directions:
In a Dutch oven cook the onions, bell pepper and celery in the butter until softened. Add the flour and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add in the whipping cream, chicken, sausage, okra and cooking sherry. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Allow soup to simmer for about 30 minutes.