Seafood Gumbo

1-40 oz. bag frozen okra
¼ c. cooking oil
1 c. cooking oil
1⅓ c. flour
3 large onions, chopped
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 c. stewed tomatoes

1 gallon water
1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
Salt
Black pepper
3 pounds raw shrimp
2 pounds crab claws
2 pounds crab meat
2 bunches green onions, chopped

In an iron skillet, cook okra in ¼ c. cooking oil until okra is no longer slimy. Set aside.

In a separate large iron skillet, make a roux with oil and flour, stirring constantly over medium heat with a wooden spoon until dark, chocolate brown. At this stage, add onions, garlic, and celery, stirring well. Cook in covered skillet until vegetables are clear. Add cooked okra and tomatoes.

Transfer to a large gumbo pot and stir in 2 cups of water at very low heat. Then add remaining water, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for at least 3 hours. Stir in salt to taste, and red pepper. Continue to cook over low heat.

While roux continues to cook, peel, devein, and thoroughly wash shrimp. Bring gumbo to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add shrimp and crab meat. Cook 15 minutes. Serve over rice. Garnish with green onions.

YIELD: 15 to 20 servings

For chicken gumbo, replace seafood with 2 large fryers. Cook, cool, and debone them. Add pulled chicken to roux. (While these are large recipes, they are easily frozen and retrieved for quick, hearty dinners.)

Crawfish Pie

1 c. whipping cream
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 c. butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ c. green pepper, chopped
½ c. green onions, chopped
1 lb. crawfish tails, drained

¼ c. parsley, chopped
½ c. bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
Salt
Black pepper
Red pepper
Double pie crust for 9” pie
Cooking oil

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Heat whipping cream. Add celery and ½ cup of butter. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

In a separate pot, heat ½ cup of butter, onion, garlic, and green pepper. Sauté until limp. Add cream mixture. Stir in green onions, crawfish tails, and parsley. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add bread crumbs and egg. Season to taste.

Pour mixture into pie crust. Place second pie crust on top. Crimp edges. Make several 1-inch knife slits in the top crust for ventilation. Brush top crust with oil.

Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F. Cook for 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving.

YIELD: 8 servings

Paw Paw's Jambalaya

1 large fryer , cut up
l pound link sausage
½ c. cooking oil
3 large onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ c. green pepper, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped

6 c. chicken stock mixture
Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Black Pepper
3 tbsp. Kitchen Bouquet
3 c. long grain rice

Boil fryer. Cool. Debone. Add water to chicken stock to equal six cups.

Cut sausage into ½ inch pieces.

In a large stockpot (6-quart+), heat cooking oil. Add onions, garlic, green pepper, and celery. Sauté until tender and transparent. Add sausage. Cook until tender. Add chicken stock mixture. Bring to a boil. Add chicken. Season to taste.

Add Kitchen Bouquet and rice. Keeping pot covered, cook over a low heat until rice is done. Stir only occasionally to avoid breaking down starches in rice.

Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.

YIELD: 10 servings