Garden Gumbo with Spicy Andouille

Here is a hearty, summer-vegetable-packed gumbo loaded with diced eggplant, okra, and fresh garden tomatoes, built in a Dutch oven with a classic rich butter roux, chicken stock, and spicy andouille sausage!

​Original Recipe: Garden Gumbo - FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Ingredients:

• ​1/2 cup unsalted butter
• ​1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• ​14 oz spicy andouille sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• ​2 medium yellow onion, chopped
• ​3 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• ​2 ribs celery, chopped
• ​2 cloves garlic, minced
• ​8 oz  eggplant  diced small
• ​1 lb sliced okra (fresh or frozen)
• ​3 to 4 medium fresh garden tomatoes, diced
• ​2 cups chicken or turkey stock
• ​2 bay leaves
• ​1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• ​1/2 tsp garlic powder
• ​1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• ​1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• ​1–3 tsp Tabasco or hot sauce (optional)
• ​Salt and black pepper to taste
• ​Cooked white rice for serving

Directions:

1. ​Make the roux: Melt the butter in a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat, then whisk in the flour. Whisk continuously for about 12–15 minutes as the flour cooks until it reaches a deep peanut-butter to rich chocolate brown color.
2. ​Sauté the holy trinity: Stir the chopped onion, bell pepper, and celery directly into the hot roux. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
3. ​Combine ingredients: Slowly whisk in the 2 cups of chicken stock to keep the roux smooth and lump-free. Add the sliced andouille sausage, fresh diced garden tomatoes, diced eggplant, sliced okra, bay leaves, thyme, garlic powder, cayenne, smoked paprika, and hot sauce.
4. ​Simmer: Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low. Cover partially and simmer in the Dutch oven for 30 to 35 minutes until the eggplant, okra, and fresh tomatoes are completely tender and the sausage has infused its flavor into the broth.
5. ​Serve: Discard the bay leaves, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot over cooked white rice.

What we liked:

• Using fresh tomatoes straight from the garden added such a bright, sweet flavor to the broth! Making it in the Dutch oven with a classic butter roux and chicken stock gave the gumbo a rich, thick texture, and letting the unbrowned sausage simmer right in the pot infused every bite with great smoky flavor.

What we didn't like:

• Standing over the Dutch oven to whisk the roux continuously takes a bit of patience, but it completely makes the dish.

What Kaspian thought about it:

• Kaspian loved it! He was definitely suspicious of the fresh tomato chunks at first, but after a few brave bites of the smoky broth and sausage, he cleared his entire bowl.

Next time:

• Next time, we might finely dice or peel the fresh garden tomatoes first so the tomato-wary kids don't second-guess the first bite!