Okra Freezer Gumbo Starter Recipes

SLOW-COOKER FREEZER-PACK GUMBO

Steps:

• Layer the chicken, sausage, onion, bell pepper, celery, okra, rice, and Cajun seasoning into a large resealable plastic bag. Pour the diced tomatoes over the ingredients in the bag. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Squeeze out the air from the bag and seal. Freeze until ready to use, up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before cooking.
• Pour the contents of the bag into a 6-quart slow cooker. Add 1 cup water. Cook on low until the chicken is tender and the flavors meld, 6 to 8 hours. Season with salt. Serve with hot sauce and bread.

OKRA GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, onion, and green bell pepper, and saute until tender. Stir in okra, mushrooms, diced tomatoes and their liquid, tomato paste, file powder, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 40 minutes.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stirring constantly, add flour, and cook 2 to 5 minutes, until a golden brown roux has formed.
• Spoon the roux into the okra mixture, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes, until thickened.

OKRA FREEZER GUMBO STARTER

Steps:

• Rinse okra well. Let dry completely. Slice into 1/2 inch rounds, discarding the stem portion. Dice and chop remaining vegetables.
• Place all ingredients in a roasting pan and cook covered at 300 degrees.
• After one hour uncover and stir. Recover and cook another hour.
• Cool completely and spoon into 4 one pint freezer containers.

OKRA-RICE GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onions and celery and sauté over low heat until the onions are golden.
• Add the water and all the remaining ingredients except the salt and pepper. Enough red pepper flakes or cayenne should be used to give the soup a distinct bite, but use your discretion. Bring to a simmer, then simmer gently, covered, stirring occasionally, for about an hour, or until the rice is cooked and the vegetables are tender.
• Discard the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper. Serve at once, or if time allows, let the soup stand off the heat for an hour or so, then heat through before serving. The soup will thicken considerably as it stands. Add more water as needed and adjust the seasonings, but let it remain very thick.
• Nutrition Information
• Per serving:
• Calories: 153
• Total fat: 5g
• Protein: 4g
• Fiber: 5g
• Carbohydrate: 25g
• Cholesterol: 0mg
• Sodium: 28mg

OKRA GUMBO (FOR THOSE WHO DON'T LIKE OKRA)

Steps:

• To shorten the cooking time of the okra, place it in a microwave safe bowl add two tbsp water, cover with plastic wrap, and cook 15 minutes. Stir, and cook an additional 5-10 minutes until the okra has changed color from bright green to a duller more olive color.
• Meanwhile, cook your chicken as desired, and chop into edible sized pieces. Dice the veggies. If you are using frozen veggies, microwave them a few minutes and drain off the excess liquid.
• Meanwhile, if time permits, slice the sausage and brown in a skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. (You can cook it in the pot you plan to make the gumbo in and set it aside if preferred.)
• In a large pot (preferably a cast iron dutch oven) brown the onions, bell peppers, and okra over medium high heat. The okra takes forever to cook, and requires constant stirring since it burns easily. It is done when the seeds begin to turn purple/brown - after about 25-30 minutes of cooking. If you didn't microwave it to begin with, you will need to cook it for about an hour. NOTE: I made this about 5 times before I realized that the okra must be cooked until the seeds are at least slightly brown. Otherwise, it will taste good but it won't get the right consistency.
• Add the chicken, sausage, tomatoes, broth/juice/bullion and water. I try to add about 1 1/2 times the amount of water as the amount of stuff already in the pot.
• Bring to a low simmer, simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally and adding water if needed. Add salt, pepper, and Tony's at the end of cooking. Serve over warm rice.
• I don't care for it, but my husband's cajun family serve potato salad as a side dish with their gumbo.