Savor the rich flavors of a homemade shrimp and Andouille sausage gumbo, featuring a dark roux and the holy trinity of Cajun cooking for a truly authentic taste.

-Chef Steph

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
• 1 quart shellfish or chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 8 to 12 ounces smoked Andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds
• 2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 to 5 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
• 1 tablespoon filé powder, optional
• Hot sauce (such as Tabasco) to taste

Directions:

1. Make the roux:
   Heat the peanut oil in a large, thick-bottomed pot, such as a Dutch oven, on medium high heat, for a minute or two. Whisk in the flour and lower the heat to medium. Stir almost constantly, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir.
   Let the roux cook until it is the color of peanut butter, then lower the heat to medium low. Keep cooking and stirring (careful, you want the flour to cook, not burn!) until the roux is the color of an old penny, about 20-30 minutes total time.
   Note that as the roux cooks, first it will clump up and thicken, but as the flour continues to brown past the peanut butter color stage, it will loosen up a bit.
   
2. Mix in the "holy trinity" of green pepper, onion and celery and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in the Cajun seasoning.
4. In a separate pot, heat the stock and water until steamy. Slowly add the steamy stock and water to the bell pepper onion roux mixture, stirring constantly while you do so.
5. Bring the gumbo to a simmer and add the Worcestershire sauce and salt to taste. Simmer gently for 30 minutes.
   If you find that the roux has broken a bit and oil is pooling on the surface of the gumbo, whisk in about another 1/2 to 1 cup of water. This will often "fix" it.
6. Stir in the Andouille sausage:
7. Cook for 5 minutes (Andouille sausage is already cooked, so you just need to heat it).
8. Add the shrimp and simmer:
   Add the shrimp, and a tablespoon of filé powder (if using), return to a simmer, and cook another 5 minutes, until the shrimp has just cooked through.
9. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Serve on cooked rice with green onion slices on top.