Back Gumbo File
Saute' onions,celery,green pepper, and garlic in a bit of the oil.
Saute' the okra seperately in a bit of the oil in a non-stick pan, over medium flame for about 25 minutes (less with frozen), or until the ropey texture is gone.
In another frying pan cook 1 Tbl peanut oil 2 Tbl. flour until the flour begins to brown a bit into a roux. Add the tomato pulp, and cook to a paste. Add the ham, thyme, basil, bay leaves and file'. Cook for 5 minutes more. Add the vegtables to the combined fish and brown soup stock. Heat the stock, and slowly add the tomato and roux mixture, stirring all the time, until the mix thickens. Simmer for 1 hour.
When close to serving time add the shrimp, oysters or crab, parsley and cook for only 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, and a dash each of worchestershire and tobasco. Serve in a bowl with 1/4 cup cooked rice.
Fish stock: Prepare by cooking fish scraps in water along with a few carrots, 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped, and 1 cup chopped celery. Simmer for 1 hour. Strain.
Brown soup stock: Bare rending bones, sawed into 2 inch pieces, carrots,unpeeled and chopped,yellow onion, unpeeled and chopped, celery, chopped.
Tell your butcher that you need bare rending bones. They should not have any meat on them at all, so they should be cheap. Have him saw them.
Roast the bones in an uncovered pan at 400* for 2 hours.Be careful, you want the bones to be toasty brown not black.
Place the bones in a soup pot, and add 1 quart water for each pound of bones.For 5 pounds of bones use 1 bunch carrots, 1 head celery, and 3 yellow onions with peel and all. (the peel will give lovely color to stock)
Bring to a heavy simmer, uncovered, and cook for 12 hours, you may need to add water but do not salt.
Strain the stock, and store in the refrigerator. Allow the fat to stay on top of the stock when you refrigerate it; the fat will seal the stock and allow you to keep it for several days.
Makes 5 quarts of stock.