This was my first attempt to make a homemade gumbo. I have wanted to try for the longest time and finally did it. I must say, It turned out better than I ever imagined. My inspiration for making the gumbo was to use the okra from my garden. After getting some basic tips from friend Lisa in Santa Monica, this was originally going to be more of a etouffee recipe. Then everything changed……
Okra on the vine…..
A little Jalapeno Pepper from the garden too….
Making the gumbo rue was a bit challenging ….but it turned out great! My goal was to make a Gluten Free rue. Never making gumbo before, I knew this was risky; then adding a Gluten Free rue to the mix?
I have never seen it done before, am I nuts for trying this? Oh! What the heck?
Well….I used Bob’s Brown Rice Flour (Stone Ground) and a good quality Extra virgin olive oil.
Using my large (and I mean large) soup pot, I added a near inch thick base of olive oil. So when my friend suggested only a table spoon of flour. I think she thought I was using a tiny little 4-5″ dia. size pot.
So here we go….whisking a way…..whisk and whisk and whisking away……Okay! Why won’t this rue thicken ? I kept asking myself.
This is getting ridiculous! So I added more flour….and more flour…and whisking till my arm felt like it was gonna fall off. Then finally! This rue went from a golden brown to a very dark, almost chocolate brown right before my eyes.
Beautiful! And it was much thicker by this time. So I added the sliced Purple onion, Garlic and Cherry Tomatoes. The rue immediately turned into a paste type substance. There was so much rue paste, I was able to fill two large, more than a pint size containers and stuck them in the freezer for a later day.
I used approximately 1 and 1/2 cup of rue paste to make my gumbo. Stirring frequently, I poured a little bit of water at a time, and continued stirring and adding water until the paste had totally dissolved. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes, then I added my veggies and seasoned to taste. Sea salt, Cayenne pepper, a large bay leaf, Thyme from my garden, and a little “Old Bay Seasoning” (suggested for any seafood recipe) and a lot of garlic (at least 2 cloves)
A dab of red wine to finish it off, then added the fresh or thawed frozen shrimp (with the shell and tail), very important for adding flavor.
I Turned the stove to a lower heat and simmered another 10-15 minutes
Instead of making brown rice, I decided to make creamy mashed red skin potatoes. I spiced them up by adding 1 teaspoon of horseradish.
Something about a slight flavor of horseradish with a shrimp gumbo.
Just out of this world!
Bon appetit! Truly the best thing I have ever tasted.
You try it! If I can do it ….so can you 
