Sandra Brown’s BLOOD MOON Gumbo

In my novel, Blood Moon, the hero John Bowie, of Cajun descent, takes the heroine Beth to his family’s fishing cabin on a bayou.  Think of a swamp with cypress trees dripping Spanish moss, and the threat of alligators and poisonous snakes.  Like that.  Anyway, there, John serves her gumbo that he’s made using his grandma’s recipe.  I think this recipe from Southern Living magazine would be close to John’s Grandma’s. 

What goes into a gumbo depends on who you ask.  There are hundreds of recipes online and in cookbooks, and I’ve never found two that were the same.  Most of the people who make it often don’t have a printed recipe at all.  They make it by watching their grandmas or grandpas, mothers or dads make it— throwing everything in “till it looks right”.   It’s sort of like Texas chili:  “If you can tell what’s in it, it ain’t did right.” 

This is a general, all’round recipe.  Feel free to add or subtract for personal taste. I always cut back on the sausage —andouille if I can find it—and add cooked chicken, usually pulled from a rotisserie chicken. 

The darker the roux (roo), the better, so take your time with that, and the longer you let it simmer, the better, too.  Please don’t eliminate the okra.  It’s essential to me for flavor.

As you can see, it’s fairly work intensive, so you may persuade the best cook in your reading group to tackle it. 

If you’re like me — cooking is an art form at which I don’t excel— or no one in your group volunteers— I recommend either Tony Chachere’s or Zatarain’s gumbo mix.  Both are available online and come in a box with the spices and main ingredients.  You add the meat or seafood you prefer.  I add okra and a little more spice to both, and I keep the Tabasco handy!  The mixes are favorable shortcuts that leave more time for reading books and talking about them!

-Sandra Brown    

 

Also see: Sandra Blood Moon Martini recipe: tinyurl.com/BloodMoonMartini

Servings

8 servings

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

mins

Print Recipe

Sandra Brown’s BLOOD MOON Gumbo

From Southern Living

  • 1 lb. smoked spicy-hot sausage (such as Conecuh), cut into ½-in.-thick slices
  • 1/2 cup salted butter
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 medium-size yellow onions, chopped (about 3 cups)
  •  1 large green bell pepper, chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
  • 3 large celery stalks, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 (32-oz.) cartons chicken broth
  • 1 lb. fresh okra, trimmed and cut into 1/2-in. pieces (about 2 3/4 cups)
  • 1 (14.5-oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp. hot sauce
  • 1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 2 lbs. unpeeled raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Hot cooked rice
  • Sliced scallions, filé powder (optional)
  1. Cook sausage: Place sausage in a large Dutch oven over medium; cook, stirring often, until browned on both sides, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage to drain on paper towels; reserve drippings in pan.
  2. Make roux: Add butter to hot drippings in Dutch oven, stirring until melted. Gradually whisk in all-purpose flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is caramel colored, 20 to 30 minutes.
  3. Cook vegetables: Add onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are very tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Add broth, sausage, seasonings: Gradually stir in broth. Stir in sausage, okra, tomatoes, bay leaves, salt, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, thyme, and pepper.
  4. Simmer gumbo: Increase heat to medium-high, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, about 3 hours. Finish and serve: Remove and discard bay leaves. Stir in shrimp, and cook until shrimp turn pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley, and remove from heat. Serve gumbo over hot cooked rice. Garnish with sliced scallions and filé powder, if desired.

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