I often repeat myself but Southern cuisine is the epitome of comfort food. It calls to me! I love soups, stews and chowder especially during cold weather. I have a base recipe I use from Paula Deen and play off of it. Here it is:

1) Saute (with a little oil) 1 C. of okra, chopped over medium heat for 5 minutes. The key is that you don’t want slimy okra in your gumbo. Set the okra aside.

2) In a large saucepan, you will make a roux, 3/3 TBSP of butter to flour. Melt the butter over low to medium heat. Slowly sprinkle in the flour and whisk. You will cook this until it is a light brown and has a pleasant nutty aroma. Make sure you constantly stir or it will burn.

3) To the pan, add 1 onion (your choice) chopped, 1 bell pepper (your choice of color) chopped, 2 cloves of garlic chopped and cook for a few minutes.

4) Now add high quality broth/stock, 4 C. I use lobster or shrimp but you can use chicken. Add 1/4 lb of precooked smoked sausage sliced, 1 tsp of Cajun/cayenne seasoning and a little salt and pepper for taste. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a slight simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes.

5) Add 1 lb of large shrimp, either 16/20 or 21/25 in the pot and cook for 5 minutes until shrimp turns opaque. Serve over white rice. This recipe serves about 4-6.

Nosh Options: You can cook that roux longer but you have to be very careful. If you want a thinner/thicker end product, play with the ratio of butter to flour , either 2/2 or 4/4. I like some color in my food so I would add 3 different colors of pepper but keep the same amount to equal 1 pepper. Andouille or some other cajun sausage is recommended to keep it authentic but in a pinch use smoked kielbasa or chorizo which are already cooked. Add Old Bay or something else with a little kick for the spice.

Eat.Drink.Savor.