How do you stay strong and motivated?nbsp; A good pot of food for your soul like Gumbo Ya-Ya. 

I always make a big pot of Gumbo in the new year to get me going.  All the yummy spices and seafood remind me why I love to cook so much.  It’s starts with the “roux” as the foundation and you build it up with all the ingredients.  Maybe the reason why I like to make Gumbo at the beginning of the year is it reminds me of building something new, just like the beginning of a new year.  You start with a strong foundation and begin to build what you think you need to improve on.  Like Gumbo, it all starts with a good foundation!

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 cups Medium Dark Roux (see “How To Roux,” recipe follows)
2. 2 cups diced onions
3. 1 cup diced celery
4. 1 cup diced green bell pepper
5. 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
6. 2 quarts shrimp (crab or chicken stock)
7. 1 pound andouille sausage (sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds, browned in a skillet, and drained on paper towels)
8. 2 bay leaves
9. 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
10. Dash hot sauce
11. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
12. 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
13. 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
14. 2 pounds medium shrimp (peeled and deveined)
15. 1 teaspoon Essence (recipe follows)
16. 1/2 pound crab legs
17. 12 fresh oysters and juices from jar (2 (optional))
18. 1/3 cup green onion tops (chopped)
19. 1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley leaves
20. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
21. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
22. 1/2 cup file powder (or to taste)
23. Steamed white rice (for serving)
24. How to Roux:
25. Ingredients:
26. 3 cups vegetable oil
27. 5 cups all-purpose flour
28. ESSENCE Creole Seasoning
29. Shrimp Stock:
30. Ingredients:
31. All shrimp and lobster shells
32. 1 bay leaf
33. Zatarain’s Crawfish and Shrimp Crab Boil
34. 1 lemon cut in quarters
35. Salt
36. Water to cover all ingredients

Directions

1. Heat the roux in a medium-sized heavy stockpot over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions, celery and bell pepper. Stir mixture until onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour in stock, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Add the browned sausage, bay leaves, Worcestershire, hot sauce, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
2. Bring gumbo to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until gumbo is slightly reduced, about 50 minutes. (Gumbo should cook long enough for the roux flavor to mellow and for any floury taste to dissipate.)
3. Season the shrimp with the Essence in a small bowl. Stir in the seasoned shrimp, crab legs, oysters, green onions, parsley, thyme and basil. Cook until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 to 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Sprinkle in file powder and cook, stirring, 2 minutes more, or pass file at the table for guests to thicken as desired. Remove bay leaves before serving.
4. Serve in warmed soup bowls over steamed white rice.

How to Roux:

Ingredients:

3 cups vegetable oil

5 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

Place a heavy, iron Dutch oven, (or iron skillet with deep sides) over medium heat and heat the oil until just smoking. Whisk in flour, a little at a time and cook, whisking constantly, until roux becomes smooth and thick. Continue to cook, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon and reaching all over bottom of pan until roux darkens to desired color. Be careful not to produce specs of black. The roux must remain an even color throughout process. If specs appear you must start over. For a Light Brown Roux, cook the mixture, over medium heat for 1 1/2 hours, or until the color of peanut butter. For a Medium Brown Roux, cook the mixture, over medium heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until the color of a copper penny when ready.

Ali in the Valley