Savory New Orlean's Style Gumbo

This was my first time making gumbo. I probably looked at a 100 recipes trying to figure out which one to make. Finally I closed the computer, grabbed an empty pot and this is the result. It was delicious! So many flavors blending and melding together. So savory. I hope ya'll try it and enjoy it.

You will need:

1 LARGE pot

14 oz smoked sausage, halved and then cut into pieces

1 large onion, cut into large chunks

a couple stalks of celery, chopped

2 large chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces

1 decent sized ham steak, cut into bite sized pieces

a few handfuls of shrimp (cleaned and tailless)

1 large green pepper, chopped

3 cans of diced tomatoes

about 3 cups of chicken broth

2 small yellow squash, cut into bite sized pieces

2 Tbl garlic

2-3 Tbl corn starch

Some kind of Creole rub about 2 Tablespoons ( I have a container of one of Emeril Lagasses' Essence seasonings. You can find the recipe online or purchase it in the store)

Rice(optional)

Using a large skillet I browned the sausage, ham and chicken in oil. Remove the meat to another container and cook the pepper, onion, garlic and celery for a few minutes until tender but still crisp. My skillet is very large so I used it for the whole process however, you may want to switch to a stock pot at this point. Add the meat back in with the vegetables. Add the diced tomatoes, and about 2 cups of the chicken broth, along with the squash and creole seasoning. Cook until it comes to a boil. In a small bowl combine the rest of the chicken broth and the cornstarch until smooth. Slowly add to the gumbo. Cook until it begins to thicken. Add shrimp. At this point if you are using uncooked shrimp cook until it turns pink. I used thawed pre-cooked shrimp so I cooked a few minutes till the shrimp was hot.

Serve over hot cooked rice or eat alone.

This is definitely something I will be making again. Not only was it good it gave me the opportunity to cook the way I like to cook. I love just pulling things out of the cupboards and refrigerator and throwing it in a pot and voila we have a delicious meal! 

Crock pot Version

Same basic start. Brown your meats. Throw everything in the crock pot reserving 1/2 cup of broth, cornstarch and shrimp for last. Cook on low 4-6 hours. Ten minutes before serving add in the cornstarch mixture and the shrimp.