With the cold weather coming…. Coming? Heck, it’s here! My friends in the Northeast are covered up in wet snow. I’ve heard of a White Christmas, but a White Halloween? Anyway, this is a hearty gumbo for a chilly day.

• 1 thin slice Ham or 2 pieces Bacon
• 4 cups Okra sliced. Use either fresh tender pods or frozen unbreaded
• 2 cups Sweet onion, chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, peeled and pressed
• 3 teaspoons fresh Parsley, chopped
• 1 can (8 ozs) Tomato Sauce
• 2 pounds Shrimp, shelled and cleaned ( I keep the shells and make the shrimp stock)
• 1 cup Shrimp Stock (Recipe below)
• 3 cups Water
• 2 teaspoons Seafood Seasoning (Old Bay, Zatarain’s or my Fuzz’s Cajun Blend)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Gumbo File
• 1 teaspoon fresh Thyme
• 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
• couple dashes of Hot Sauce (optional)
• Cooked Rice, use Brown, Basmati or Long Grain White

Shrimp Stock:

After I remove the shells from the shrimp, I put them in a medium saucepot. Add 2 cups of water and bring to boil. Season with salt. Reduce to simmer over low to medium low for an hour or until the water has reduced to 1 cup. Strain out the shells and set aside the stock.

Cut the ham or bacon into small pieces. If using ham, saute lightly in a skillet. If using bacon, cook until done and crispy.  Add okra and saute until brown, stirring frequently. Add onions, garlic, parsley and tomato sauce. Let this mix simmer for about 5 minutes. Add shrimp, shrimp stock, water, seas food seasoning, gumbo file, thyme, salt and pepper and hot sauce. Simmer over low or medium low for at least one hour. Serve over cooked rice.