• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 to 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 to 7 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs (pan seared or BBQed)
• .5 lb Kielbasa, andouille or smoked sausage cut into bite-sized pieces
• .5 lb shrimp (optional)
• 4 C Beef stock
• Half to 2/3rds of a “domestic” beer
• 3 tbs Creole Spice
• Ground pepper to taste

Creole Spice

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Roux

• .75 C vegetable oil
• .33 C All Purpose flour

Instructions:

1. Add oil to a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in flour to make a roux. The more the roux darkens, the more you need to whisk it. As it approaches brown (like Hersey chocolate) you should be whisking it steadily. You are looking for it to approach the colour of Hershey’s chocolate but don’t burn it or you’ll need to start over!
2. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the trinity (onion / green pepper / celery), then garlic, sauté for 2 to 3 mins.
3. Add beef stock, sausage, chicken thighs, creole spice, beer and a generous amount of black pepper.
4. If everyone loves shrimp, add them now. If some don’t like them, you can sauté them in a separate sauce pan with a bit of broth closer to serving time. This way people can add them to their individual serving (this is what we do in our house). Alternatively, if everyone eats shrimp but you don’t want your Gumbo to have a strong seafood flavour, add them closer to serving time so they have just enough time to cook but not enough time to significantly change the flavour of your overall Gumbo.
5. Cover and simmer the gumbo on low for a minimum of 3 hours, stirring ocajunly.
6. Serve in a bowl over white rice (or your rice of choice).