I love my friend Tina’s gumbo. My daughter and husband love it too and were raving about the gumbo to me so I decided to try and see if I could make it at home. I asked her for the recipe and this is what she shared with me.

• 

• 

As you know, I’m not much of a measuring kind of cook so loosely followed her guidance when making my gumbo. I chopped chicken into bite-sized pieces and browned it in oil and then removed from the pot. Next I browned the sliced sausage and removed that. If you want to add a local-style flavor, you can use Portuguese sausage instead of the typical andouille sausage. I then sprinkled some flour in the pot and added butter for the roux and stirred it until it browned nicely.

• 

• 

Once the roux turned brown, I added chopped onions, celery, and bell pepper to the pot and cooked it for a few minutes until softened. I also added a carrot since I had one but this is not on the typical gumbo ingredient list.

I had some Creole seasoning in my pantry so I sprinkled that over the onion mixture in the pot. I then added 4 cups of chicken broth to the pot and brought it to a slow boil and then added the chicken and sausage back in. I also added a bunch of chopped okra and a can of stewed tomatoes to the mixture. I seasoned it with some Worcestershire sauce, onion powder and thyme and let the gumbo simmer for a while. A few minutes before serving, I added some shrimp to the pot and when the shrimp is cooked, just spoon some of this stew over some hot rice. Or serve it with warm crusty bread. That is really all there is to it.

I don’t know if it is as good as Tina’s but my family enjoyed it on this cold and rainy evening. Living Hilo Style.