Okra "Gumbo"

Bet you are all surprised to see me back so soon!!!  I needed to make a meal that would last for the week.  I didn't want to make a bunch of things and have a ton of left overs, plus I was trying to get rid of what I already had.  I've had a can of lima beans sitting in my cuboard that I've been meaning to use but haven't gotten around to.  The weather has been really crappy, cold and rainy so I figured what better way to end this cold weather with a nice soup!  Hopefully this is the last of the bad weather and I can go on with my summer meals. 

I looked up a lima bean soup recipe and found one that looked promising.  It called for flour which reminded me of making a roux.  I got out all the ingredients and decided to go a completly different direction and just try and make a gumbo instead....well my version of a gumbo at least.  I wasn't sure if it would really turn out like a gumbo, or just a thick soup, but either way it should taste good...

The results were great!  I should have cooked the roux longer to get a darker color, therefore more flavor.  But at least I know for next time.  I feel great about this because I finally have a base to start creating my masterpiece!   Here is the recipe of what I made this time, along with some sub notes about changes I want to make. 

3 Tablespoons of oil
3 Tablespoons of flour
approximately 3 stems of celery
approximately 1 medium onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
4 cups of water
1 can of lima beans
1 can of chopped tomatoes
Rougly two cups of chopped frozen okra (I didn't measure, so just use to your own discretion)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
a bunch of slap ya mama cajun seasoning to taste.  I would start with 1 teaspoon and add more if desired
pinch of cayenne
A few dashes of hot sauce, I use Louisiana Hot Sauce
Cooked rice, depends on how many you are feeding

1.  Heat oil in large soup pot.  Add chopped onions, garlic and celery.  Cook until soft.
2.  Add flour and saute, constantly stirring (you don't want to stop stirring because it will burn, which you would then have to start over).  I cooked mine for about 30 minutes.  You want it to be a nice dark carmel color.  It can take awhile.  Mine wasn't quite ready after 30 minutes but my stove cooks very slow so times may vary.  Next time I would cook for longer.
3.  Add the water and make sure the roux gets completely disolved with the water.  It should be a dark tan color.  Mine was only a light brown, which wasn't dark enough.  It still turned out okay, but more like a soup than a gumbo
4.  Add the can of lima beans, tomatoes, okra, and seasoning.  Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 20-30 minutes or so.
5.  Taste and add more seasonings if desired
6.  Serve over rice

Suggestions:  I typically dont like tomatoes in my gumbo, I wasn't going to add them but after seeing I didn't cook my roux long enough I felt it was going to need something.  Next time if I get the roux right I would omit.  Like stated above you have to be patient with the roux, which I usually am not.  Which is why I'm having to try for a second time to get it right.  But don't be too pressured to get it right the first time, it was still yummy even if it wasn't exactly what I was going for. 

I don't know how much I will be posting while I'm away, so this is a little southern goodbye for now.  Hopefully I'll be writing soon! 

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler