Preparation:
Puree onion, garlic, and okra together in food processor. Make a roux with fat and flour by slow, careful cooking in a skillet. Should take 25-30 minutes, until flour is chocolate brown. Use a pancake turner instead of a spoon to keep the bottom of the skillet scraped.
Place roux into larger cooking pot, at least 4 qt. size. Add everything else except oysters. Bring to a boil, then simmer about 1 hour. Keep stirred and add extra water if necessary. Taste for salt. Drain oyster juice into gumbo.
Remove any hard pieces from oysters; chop, if desired. Pour oysters into gumbo, bring to a boil, then simmer 15 minutes. This will taste better reheated the next day - it will keep a few days in the refrigerator.
This is from the New Orleans Times-Picayune Cooking Contest, 1980. |
