Th Big Easy

Now, it's no secret that I don't agree with low-fat and great all in the same sentence.   I do however believe in 'easy' and 'great' going together and easy dishes is what I'm all about.   This recipe comes from Southern Living magazine.   I always look at magazine recipes and rarely try them and thankfully someone else tried this for me and it's delicious so I wanted to test it out.  If you, like I, want a good soup for a cool day, here it is.

"Big Easy" Gumbo

Makes:  8-10 servings
1/2 C peanut oil
1/2 C flour
1 C chopped sweet onion
1 C chopped green pepper
1 C chopped celery
2 tsp Creole seasonings
2 tsp minced garlic
3 (14 oz) cans chicken stock
4 C shredded cooked chicken
1/2 lb. andouille sausage cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 1/2 C frozen black-eyed peas
1 lb. peeled lg. raw shrimp

Heat oil in lg. dutch oven over med-high heat, gradually whisking in the flour.  Whisking constantly cook mixture 5 -7 min or until a chocolate color but DO NOT BURN.

Reduce heat to med, stir in onion, pepper, celery, seasonings and garlic.  Cook 3 minutes stirring constantly.  Gradually stir in chicken broth; add chicken, sausage, and peas.  Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to simmer 20 minutes; stir occasionally.    Add shrimp and cook additional 5 minutes before serving.

Note:  My suggestion is to have all of you ingredients chopped, sliced, measured, and ready to go.