Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
8 celery stalks, peeled and chopped
4 onions, chopped
4 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
8 garlic cloves, chopped
6 thyme sprigs
4 bay leaves
4 tsp. salt
4 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
6 8 oz. bottles clam juice
2 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes with juice
2 lbs. andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 16 oz. bags frozen cut okra
4 lbs. large shrimp, peeled, deveined (uncooked)
12 cups cooked white rice
1 large jar roasted red bell peppers, chopped and drained
Set a large soup pot over high heat.
Add oil and heat until almost smoking. Add
flour and stir with a wooden
spoon until flour is a dark reddish brown color, about
5 minutes.
Immediately add celery, onions, and bell peppers. Cook 8 minutes,
stirring
often. Add garlic, thyme, bay leaf, oregano and cayenne. Stir to
blend.
Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another large soup pot.
Add 3 bottles of
clam juice, 1 can of tomatoes with juice, and 1 pound of
sausage to each pot.
Bring to a boil, stirring often. Boil for 15
minutes.
Add half of shrimp to each pot. Simmer over medium heat until shrimp are
just
opaque, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Mound
rice in the center
of 16 bowls. Ladle gumbo over and garnish with red peppers.
