Primal Chicken Gumbo

Hi folks! Had to post this recipe on here for a few of my dedicated (!) readers. Cheeseslave at www.cheeseslave.com is requesting bone broth recipes, so here's my contribution.

As the oldest of four kids (and a budding chef!), I would pick a turkey dinner clean to the bone after Thanksgiving. To the bone! And then, my mom would take the carcass and stick it in a pot of water to cook for a while. Best soup I ever had! After reading Nourishing Traditions (and reading Cheeseslave's website LOL), I realized how important it is to keep this tradition going - for all the lovely nutrients that we drink in the broth. When you let the broth simmer so long, it starts looking creamy - that's when you have the good stuff!

I'm not sure where the original non-primal recipe came from.. I've had it for so long, the paper is a little warped! So, in order to make it fit better with my primal/traditional lifestyle, I took out the rice and the roux (flour/oil thickener). The color is not quite like the original with the roux, but it does thicken if you use okra. It does take a while to put everything together, but once you get it going, definitely a keeper!

I plan on making this sometime over the weekend (with the upcoming rain and all), so hopefully will have a photo soon.

Ingredients
6 quarts chicken/turkey homemade stock
2-3 C leftover chicken/turkey
1 pound natural andouille sausage (I use nitrate-/nitrite-free sausage)
2 pounds shrimp
2 pounds okra (I use the frozen chopped kind bc it's easier to find & cheaper)
2 onions, chopped
1 bunch green onions with tops, chopped
2-3 bell peppers, chopped
5 ribs celery, chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
Creole seasoning to taste OR black, white, & cayenne peppers to taste
A few dashes of Tabasco or hot sauce to taste
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Slice the andouille sausage up and brown, pour off the fat.

Pour stock into large stockpot. Add sausage, onions, green onions, bell peppers, and celery. (I'm lazy so I just stick them all in at once!). Add bay leaves, creole seasonings or pepper mixture to stockpot. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Add okra and cook for another 30 minutes or so. Add leftover cooked chicken/turkey meat and parsley. Simmer for another 15-30 minutes. Adjust seasonings, salt, pepper, Tabasco/hot sauce as needed. If it looks too thin, simmer for a while longer.

5 minutes before you're ready to eat, throw in shrimp. Do NOT overcook shrimp. A few minutes at most (otherwise they will get rubbery in texture).

You can eat it straight in a bowl, or if you miss rice, pour gumbo over mashed cauliflower. Works like a charm!