Oven Chicken & Okra Gumbo "I got work to do Gumbo"

2 pounds okra, sliced into ¼ in rounds

1 medium onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 (14.5oz) can peeled whole tomatoes

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

3 cups diced cooked chicken

6 oz. tasso or smoked ham, diced (I used smoked sausage)

1 quart chicken stock

Salt & Pepper to taste

4 cups cooked white rice

Preheat the oven to 250.  Combine the okra, onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, tomatoes and tomato paste in a large roasting pan.  Cover with foil and bake for one hour or until tender.

Remove the foil and add the chicken, tasso, and broth.  Return to the oven uncovered and bake for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until desired thickness.  Season with Salt & Pepper (I also added hot sauce).

Ladle the gumbo into bowls and spoon a little rice into the center of each bowl.

This recipe comes from a great cookbook, “Screen Doors and Sweet Tea” by Martha Hall Foose.  If you love southern cooking, this should be on your shelves.  I have done several recipes and they all worked well.  Last night we had a family friend coming to dinner, but (as usual) I had little time.  The subtitle from the cookbook caught my eye!  If you have made Gumbo, you know that the first 30 – 45 minutes are spent standing over the pot working the roux to be just the right color.  Yesterday I certainly didn’t have that time.  So, during my lunch hour (I work from home, so the commute back to the kitchen wasn’t bad), I cut up everything needed for the recipe and then about 4:00 ran down and put the pot in the oven.  About 5:00 I added the other ingredients and then took my sweet time to make the rice, set the table etc.  I thought this gumbo was very good – the downside is that it never develops that nice dark color and depth of flavor.  I’d call this more of a chicken stew…but very flavorful.  I assume the large amount of okra is to help thicken (which it did)…but if you are not wild about okra, you may want to use less and less chicken broth.  Or you could keep the same amount of broth, and add gravy flour and finish it on the stovetop.  Regardless, it was good, made plenty for dinner tonight also and I think was enjoyed by all (OK, so my kids didn’t eat the Okra…I confessed) .  You might notice I again forgot to take the picture before we dug in...thanks to J for being the Gumbo model :)  Remember this blog is about the food, not the poor quality pictures....