Gumbo Mumbo!

Gumbo Gravy & Grits

For this Cajun, southern, low-country, Alabama girl - when it comes to Gumbo, I mean business.  Now, that's not to say that I'm a picky eater or that I would ever turn down a chance at seafood gumbo... or seafood of any type for that matter.  But, thanks to the Debster, I'm kinda a gumbo snob.  Let's be honest - real made-from-the-heart gumbo takes lots of choppin', stirrin', pickin' crab and way more hours than I really have left laying around on any given day. But, every time I head to the coast and get a taste of Momma's gumbo - it almost seems worth the 5+hours of work. Just for a little bowl of crab meat and shrimp goodness.  Now, this blog is not to share her recipe... I'll be darned if she ever gives it to me, much less shares it with the www... but, I did want to share a amazing Southern Living recipe that tasted almost as yummy and took just about 30 minutes to make. It's so simple... and you can have gumbo on any given night of the week. Just try it, I promise it won't let you down!

Original recipe and picture can be found here. 

1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 1/2 teaspoons Tony Chachere's cajun seasoning

6 ounces {one link} andouille sausage, diced

Vegetable cooking spray

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 cup diced sweet onion

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons Browned Flour

1 cup reduced-sodium, fat-free all natural chicken broth

1 cup sliced fresh okra

2 large plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced

2 cups prepared grits

Garnish: sliced green onions & Louisiana hot sauce

First you will want to brown your flour and set aside. {see recipe above}

Next, be sure to peel your shrimp, coat with Tony's and set aside. 

Spray medium skillet with cooking spray and turn heat to medium. Slice sausage and saute for 5 minutes or until slightly browned. Add oil, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Saute 3-5 minutes until onions are transparent and garlic is roasted. Sprinkled browned flour over mixture and stir until well-blended. Stir in chicken broth and increase heat to bring to a boil. Stir continually until thickened. Add shrimp, okra and tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. 

Serve over grits {we used instant, but you can also use stone ground}, garnish with green onions, Louisiana hot sauce and serve hot french bread. Enjoy!

Hands on time: 15 minutes {plus flour & grits}

Servings: yields 4-6