Okra Freezer Gumbo Starter Recipes

Steps:

• Layer the chicken, sausage, onion, bell pepper, celery, okra, rice, and Cajun seasoning into a large resealable plastic bag. Pour the diced tomatoes over the ingredients in the bag. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Squeeze out the air from the bag and seal. Freeze until ready to use, up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before cooking.
• Pour the contents of the bag into a 6-quart slow cooker. Add 1 cup water. Cook on low until the chicken is tender and the flavors meld, 6 to 8 hours. Season with salt. Serve with hot sauce and bread.

Steps:

• Rinse okra well. Let dry completely. Slice into 1/2 inch rounds, discarding the stem portion. Dice and chop remaining vegetables.
• Place all ingredients in a roasting pan and cook covered at 300 degrees.
• After one hour uncover and stir. Recover and cook another hour.
• Cool completely and spoon into 4 one pint freezer containers.

Steps:

• Fry bacon in a large skillet that can be covered, until crisp. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Saute onion in bacon drippings until tender. Add okra and tomatoes, stir to blend. Cover, reduce to low heat. Cook for about an hour, or until okra is tender, stirring occasionally. Do not stir too much or too briskly, because the okra will fall apart. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• **Note: Nanny diced the bacon and fried it and the onion together. My family doesn't like the bacon cooked into it because the bacon becomes soft. If you do it my way, you can sprinkle the bacon on right before serving.

Steps:

• Place all together in a large pot EXCEPT for rice and shrimp.
• Bring to boil then reduce and simmer for 1 hr 10 min stirring often. Add a little water if it gets too thick.
• Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.
• Add shrimp and cook 10 minutes.
• Discard bay leaves serve over rice.