Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo

I'm not a fan of traditional gumbo because it usually has shrimp and okra; two things I am not likely to eat. I received a cookbook from The Former Roomy's mom when I went down for her wedding. It was the local town's Presbyterian Church cookbook. I flipped through many times and had my eye on this recipe. I made it one night last year when my friend came over for dinner - we are big fans of it with some Jiffy corn muffins and lots of butter. I'm going to post the recipe as it is given, but then I will tell you one slight change that I made.

Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo

1 stick butter
1/2 c. flour
1 lb. Conecuh sausage, cooked, drained and cut into small pieces (I keep it sliced in rounds)
1 (15 oz.) can black-eyed peas, drained
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 pkg. frozen McKenzie's Blend (onion, celery and bell pepper)
Minced garlic to taste (1 to 3 cloves)
4 c. chicken broth
parsley
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 bay leaves (remove before serving)
Tabasco sauce to taste

Saute the garlic in 1 Tbsp. olive oil. In an 8-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle and stir in the flour and let brown until a light brown color. (This is called a roux.) Then add chicken broth, stirring while adding a little at a time. Add all remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.

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I couldn't find the McKenzie blend anywhere, so I chopped fresh onion, celery and bell pepper and started by sauteing in butter until tender. I removed from pot and continued with the other directions, although I did allow it to simmer closer to an hour. It is great as leftovers because the flavor really comes out.

Last one for the week tomorrow is my super simple Chili.