Shrimp Gumbo

So this recipe is quite elaborate. Don't even get into it unless you have about 4 hours to cook. Gumbo can't be rushed it's all about the combining of flavors. But the end result is worth the time.

Serves 6

The first step is to make your stock:
    Ingredients:
-shells from peeled shrimp (see below)
-1 1/2 cup diced onion
-1/2 cup sliced celery
-7 cups water
-2 bay leaves

- Heat a large pot over high heat
- Add shrimp shells and cook until they have turned pink and start to stick to the pan
- Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes covered
- Turn off the heat, but the the stock to sit covered while you prepare the roux and gumbo

Now you have to make a roux:
   Ingredients: 
-2 tbs unsalted butter
-1/2 cup all purpose flour

- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat
- Gradually whisk in the flour until completely combined
- You want the mixture to tighten
- Reduce heat to medium low and cook continuing to scrape the bottom and edges of pan when stirring
- You want to keep cooking until your roux has darkened this could be about  minutes
***Be careful not to burn your butter, take the pan off the heat is you smell any burning

While your stirring your roux you can start your gumbo:
   Ingredients:
 -3 1/2 tbs olive oil
-3/4 pd okra trimmed and sliced 1/2 inch thick
-2 Morningstar Italian sausages
-1 1/2 cups onion diced
-1 cup celery chopped
-1 cup bell pepper chopped (any color)
-3 garlic cloves diced
-1/2 small jalapeno seeded and chopped
-1 12oz can whole tomatoes crushed with your hands
-1 tbs oregano
-2 pounds large shrimp (shells reserved for stock)

- Heat large pot over medium-high heat
- Add 2 tbs oil and okra, season with salt, cook for about 5 minutes until okra begins to brown
- Transfer cooked okra to a bowl trying to leave as much oil in pan as possible, leave pan on heat
- Microwave the Morningstar sausages for about a minute just enough to soften
- Roughly chop up sausages and cook in the same pot as okra, add 1/2 tbs oil
- Generously coat sausage with blackening seasoning, transfer to bowl with okra after about 2 minutes of cooking
- Add remaining 1 tbs oil w/ onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeno to the pot
- Cook about 6 minutes until vegetables are slightly softened, stirring often
- Add tomato and oregano, cook 2 minutes
- Add the okra/sausage mixture to the pan
- Add roux to vegetables, stir continuously for about 1 minute
- Strain your stock into a large bowl, press firmly on the shells and vegetables to extract the flavor, you want about 5 1/2 cups
- Stir the stock into the vegetables, make sure to completely dissolve the roux
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours
**Take this opportunity to taste for seasoning, add more salt or pepper to your taste, also try a dab of Tabasco for some heat
- When you're ready to eat turn the heat up to medium
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper and submerge into the gumbo
- Cook 10 minutes until shrimp is cooked through

Serve with white rice and enjoy!