Soup of the Day... Gumbo

“The great dish of New Orleans, and which it claims having the honor of invented, is the GUMBO. There is no dish which at the same time so tickles the palate, satisfies the appetite, furnished the body with nutriment sufficient to carry on the physical requirements, and costs so little as a Creole Gumbo. It is a dinner in itself, being soup, piece de résistance, entremet and vegetable in one. Healthy, and not heating to the stomach and easy of digestion, it should grace every table.” ~ William H. Coleman

Today's recipe... Remember... Disclaimer: Some folks don't always follow updated USDA canning methods, they may live in another country where the standards are not the same, they may use heirloom methods passed down through the generations, they may choose other canning methods not recommended. Use this recipe at your own discretion, or adapt it to your own method. I am sharing these recipes EXACTLY as they were sent to me and take NO responsibility for them.

Canning Gumbo

Found on mcguirehomestead.blogspot

2 cups flour 

2 cups oil (we used peanut oil) 

4 lb okra 

7 lb cubed chicken meat 

2 lb beef polish sausage (sliced thin) 

10 cups sliced onion 

10 cups sliced bell pepper 

10 cups chopped celery 

2 gallon chicken stock 

2 tablespoons or to taste Salt and pepper to taste 

2 tablespoons liquid shrimp and crab boil or to taste 

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 

Heat the oil in a large kettle and add the flour. Slowly brown to a rich brown color. Do not burn. This needs to be done on low heat.

This makes a rich roux for the gumbo. It sure helps to have 2 people doing this so says Ms Deb. While 1 makes the roux the other can saute the veggies and brown the meats. Mix the veggies and the meats in a large container.

When all this is done its time to add the roux to the chicken stock and make the gravy. Add roux to 2 gallons of chicken stock in a large stock pot, bring to boil, season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, and shrimp boil. Let simmer for a few minutes to thicken some, whisking constantly. Remove from heat.

Prepare jars and put the veggie meat mixture in the jars up to the shoulder of the jar. This makes 14 quarts. Divide the roux among the 14 jars. Put on lids and put in pressure canner and process quarts for 90 minutes at 10 lb pressure.

Let pressure go down and remove to rack to finish cooling and seal. You might notice the contents look like they have separated, this is fine.

This is some good gumbo. To serve, cook about 1/2 cup of rice and add the cooked rice to one quart of gumbo or you can add the rice straight to the gumbo as it heats up.

You can also add shrimp at re-heating if so desired. This is a good hearty meal in one kettle and quick if you have your own home canned gumbo.

Tomorrow's Soup of the Day... Celery Soup Base