Gumbo is a thick stew made from sausage, other meats, and rich sauce, and part of the Creole* cuisine of Louisiana. Here, we use vegan sausage, but chicken or turkey sausage can be substituted.
Serves 8
3 Tbs. (45 ml) each: vegan butter and olive oil
6 Tbs. (80 g) flour or gluten-free flour
1 chopped yellow onion
2 chopped organic celery stalks
1 organic bell pepper, seeded and chopped
6 minced garlic cloves
2 cups (480 ml) organic vegetable stock
1 15-ounce (445 ml) organic tomatoes in juice, optional: fire-roasted tomatoes and juice
2 tsp. (10 ml) dried oregano
1 tsp. (5 ml) paprika
½ tsp. (2,5 ml) black pepper
¼ tsp. (1,25 ml) cayenne pepper or more to taste
1 bay leaf
3 Tbs. (45 ml) filé powder*
16 ounces (455 g) spicy vegan, chicken, or turkey sausage
chopped parsley
1. Combine olive oil and vegan butter in a large pot.
2. Heat on medium until butter is melted.
3. Whisk in four 1 Tbs. (15 ml) at a time, continue heating, and whisking for 10-15 minutes until flour and oil mixture turns medium brown.
4. Add onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic.
5. Stir to mix and cook 3 minutes, continue to stir until onions just begin to soften.
6. Slowly add the vegetable stock and continue to stir.
7. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, paprika, black pepper, cayenne, bay leaf, and filé powder.
8. Chop or crumble the sausage into the pot.
9. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.
10. Ad more stock for a thinner consistency.
11. Remove the bay leaf.
12. Add chopped parsley before serving.
* Creole, Criollo (Spanish), Créole (French), Crioulo (Portuguese) <[salve born in the master's household] were mostly people of Spanish, French, Portuguese, or African descent born in the West Indies or parts of French or Spanish America. In Louisiana, it identified French-speaking population of upper class whites of French or Spanish descent. Creoles of color were descendants of free mulattos and free blacks.
*Filé powder is one of the key ingredients in making gumbo, a root beer flavor. Substitution: of thickening use okra or cornstarch (aka cornflour or maize starch).
