Paul Winfield's Seafood Gumbo

Paul Winfield's Seafood Gumbo

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 links Italian sweet sausage cooked in skillet a few minutes to remove
fat, cut in halves
About 3 cups chicken broth (canned or homemade)
6 chicken pieces
3 fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
About 1 1/2 tsps. salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Good pinch of thyme
1/4 tsp. Tabasco to taste (more if desired)
1 pound crab meat
1/2 pound peeled, deveined raw shrimp
1 pint shucked oysters with liquid
Gumbo filé powder
3 cups hot cooked rice
Minced fresh parsley

Brown flour in butter until it is deep red-brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add onion, green pepper, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are limp. Add sausage, chicken broth, chicken parts, tomatoes, salt, pepper, thyme, and Tabasco. Cook slowly until chicken is tender. Add more chicken broth if needed. Add crab meat, cook about 15 minutes; add shrimp and oysters. Cook only until shrimp are pink and oysters begin to curl. Taste to correct seasonings. Remove from heat and add gumbo filé powder to taste. Serve at once in shallow bowls with fluffy rice. Garnish with parsley. Serves 6.

Thoughts: Paul's gumbo is delicious and simple. It can be given a stronger flavor by the addition of spices (saffron, cayenne) and herbs (bay leaf, red pepper). If desired, add 1 1/2 lbs. okra cut in rounds and sauteed in butter when the oysters are added to gumbo. Fresh corn from the garden makes a delightful addition. You might also add bacon or smoked ham, or, for the hunter, wild duck. And you can use just about any leftover meats, such as the remaining holiday turkey. Paul's gumbo, in fact, can be the beginning of a whole storehouse of great dishes!