This gumbo is a meal in itself. It is a nice rib-sticking food on any cold fall/winter night, but is especially great made using the leftover Thanksgiving turkey for stock. If you like it a little less hot, cut back on the cayenne. It also makes a great starter for a dinner party. Just be sure to give small portions or your guests won't eat anything else.

In a medium pot, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour to make a roux. Cover and cook over very low heat for 11/2 hours, stirring every 10-15 minutes. This may seem like a long time, but it turns a beautiful dark brown and gives the gumbo great color and flavor. It doesn’t take much effort; just don’t forget it’s there!
In a separate pan, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the sausage and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the bell pepper, onion and celery, along with the THYME, CUMIN, CAYENNE, and PEPPER and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly.
When the roux is ready, slowly stir in the turkey stock. Add the contents of the other pot. Add the shrimp. Stir in the BAY LEAVES and salt. Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. Add the rice just before serving.

NOTE: Mike usually uses Thanksgiving leftovers to make a nice, meat-filled, rich stock. Just leave some meat on the bones, cover with water, and let simmer for several hours. Strain, save some meat—or add some already sliced meat that was leftover from the dinner, and you are ready to make gumbo!

Prep. time: 2 hours for chopping, sautéing, stock making and roux cooking
Cooking time: 30 minutes once everything is together.
Yield: about 16 1-cup servings

Nutritional Information:
Servings 16; Serving Size 1 cup (107g); Calories 100; Calories from fat 70; Total fat 8g; Cholesterol 30mg; Sodium 320mg; Carbohydrate 5g; Dietary Fiber <1g.