4 lb. shrimp
1 lb. link sausage, cut into thin rounds
4 lg. chicken breasts
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
6 qt. water
6 bay leaves
1 c. corn oil
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 lg. onions, finely chopped
2 lg. cans tomatoes
1 lg. bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic pods, chopped
1 tsp. tarragon leaves

Salt, black pepper, red pepper and Tabasco sauce to taste as cooking (suggest you add the salt only the last 30 minutes to taste as you will be using salty sausage and ingredients).

Step 1: Boil chicken breasts in gumbo pot with 5 quarts of water. Remove chicken from pot when white and debone, shred and return to pot, using chicken broth you have made.

Step 2 (simultaneous with step 1) : Add flour gradually, sifting to hot oil in iron skillet to blacken flour while stirring constantly until roux is Hershey bar brown at medium heat (usually takes 15 to 20 minutes). Remove from heat and pour into gumbo pot. (You may add water to skillet to prevent burning at the end.)

Step 3: Saute onions, garlic, celery, green peppers in microwave or skillet then add to gumbo pot. Add tomatoes and okra to pot (I like to burst the okra pods so that the seeds float free). Cook ingredients for 2-4 hours on medium heat (the longer the better).

Step 4: Peel shrimp and set aside. Now make seafood stock from the hulls. First wash the shrimp hulls and then boil them in 2 quarts of water for 30 minutes. Then strain off the liquid (seafood stock) and add to the gumbo.

Step 5: After cooking ingredients for 4-6 hours, add the sausage and shrimp the last 1/2 hour.

Step 6: Serve in soup bowls over steaming hot rice and enjoy. Individuals may add Tabasco, or other hot sauce as desired to their bowls.