My favorite gumbo recipe

Hi!  Winnie Griggs here.  Monday was an important day for my home state of Louisiana - it marked the 200^th anniversary of its statehood.  In honor of that auspicious occasion, I thought I’d post one of my favorite regional recipes - gumbo.  Every cook in Louisiana has her own version of this versatile dish.  This is mine - a recipe I’ve adapted over the years through tweaking one passed down from my grandmother.    

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup butter or vegetable oil
• 2 tblsp flour
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 4 cups water
• 1 can (14-15 oz) diced tomatoes
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 lb sliced okra (sautéed with ½ teaspoon vinegar until ‘slime’ is gone)
• 4 lbs meat - any one type or a combination of your favorites.  Meats that work well in a gumbo are sausage (cut into ½ inch slices), deboned chicken or other fowl, pork, shrimp, crawfish, crab or game meats
• Tabasco sauce or liquid crab boil to taste (optional)

Directions:

• Use flour and oil or butter to make a roux.
  Do this by combining ingredients in a heavy saucepan and cooking over a low heat,  stirring constantly until the mixtures is a medium brown color (about 10-15 minutes).
• Add garlic, onions, green onions, celery and bell peppers.  Cook until tender
• Add remaining ingredients except okra (and shellfish if applicable) and bring to a boil. 
• Reduce heat, cover and cook for 30 minutes, adding additional water if needed
• Add okra (and shellfish if applicable).  Return to a boil. 
• Reduce heat and simmer for another 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove bay leaves, skim excess oil, and serve over rice.

This makes a very large batch.  Leftovers can be frozen for later consumption.

So, do you have any favorite recipes that reflect your home region?  Care to share?