Gumbo is a rich cajun soup, thickened either with a) okra, b) a roux, or c) file' powder
(ground sassafrass leaves). Of course, these can be combined.

I have made all types, but the easiest one to make is the roux based. Pay attention and
read through before attempting, you'll need to rearrange the steps to make it efficient.

Start with oil and flour (approx 2 Tbs each).
Heat the oil in the bottom of your soup pot
Add the flour.
Stir the flour briskly and brown the roux.
It's faster to do over high heat BUT it's easier to mess it up.
Prudhomme has a section on making roux that discusses this. Be careful to not get any
on you or you'll find out why it's called "cajun napalm".
Take it off the heat if it gets too hot until it cools down.

As soon as the roux is medium to dark brown (don't scorch the flour or you'll need to
start all over), throw in your diced onion, green pepper, and celery
(the sacred trinity in cajun cooking). These should stop the roux from cooking.

How much? About one medium onion, a large green pepper, and two or three stalks of
celery. About two cups diced, combined. Stir around. The roux should have been smelling
wonderful and once these vegetables hit the roux the smell becomes almost unbearably
good. Garlic, two cloves or so, minced, can go in now, too. Let cook untill the vegetables
get soft, a couple of minutes. The heat can go to medium now. I know you did the roux
over high heat, being adventurous, didn't you?.

You prepared a seasoning mix of thyme, oregano, red (cayenne) pepper, black pepper,
and white pepper that can be thrown in when the vegetables get soft. About 2 tspn to a
1 tblspn each of the herbs, 1/4 to 1/2 tspn each of the peppers. This is also the time to
add some fresh chopped parsley (all too often neglected) and some chopped green onion.
Both are optional, both are good.

When this hits the roux/vegetable mixture your nose will go into complete ecstasy. You
should also add a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco to taste. Thyme,
Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco are the other sacred trinity of cajun cooking. It's now
time to add the meats or seafoods.

Note:
Gumbo can be based on any number of things. Seafood is classic, with shrimp, oysters,
crab, or fish in any combination. Chicken can also serve as a base. Sausage is almost
mandatory, if you can't get andouille (I get it in Publix here in Tampa) then a good
smoked sausage will do. I've been using turkey sausage lately and it is tasty. I've even
made a seven-steak gumbo (from Prudhomme, again). If you're going to add chicken,
you should have browned the diced chicken in the oil, then removed it before you made
the roux. The diced chicken, sausage, and/or ham should go in now.
The seafood goes in after the stock.

Back to the gumbo, now that you've added the meat you want, you should let it get warm
and lightly browned in the roux mixture, then it's time to add the stock. If this is a seafood
gumbo, you should use a seafood stock. If you have crab, shrimp, or fish to add, the shells
and/or bones should have been used to make a rich stock earlier. I'm talking a rich,
aromatic blend of celery tops, onion parts, bay leaf, etc. simmered in water along with the
fish parts for at least an hour, then strained. Oyster liquor is added if available. You'll need
about four cups or so. If you're using sausage, ham, and/or chicken, the bones of the chicken
that you diced should have been subjected to the same procedure to make a stock. The richer,
the better. You can always use some beer or wine to add more flavor. If at all possible, avoid
store bought stock, to much salt and preservatives.

Anyways, add the four cups of stock. Or, if you want, make the roux/vegetable mixture in a
skillet and add to the already heated stock in the soup pot. Now, if you've got them, add shrimp,
crab, fish, oysters, clams, whatever. Simmer for an hour or so.
Serve some rice in a bowl, ladle gumbo over it.
You can sprinkle file' powder over as a seasoning, to taste.