Gumbo

This week, the CSA delivered okra. Alrighty then, what the heck am I going to do with okra? After a quick check of How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman, and a quick google search for "Emeril Lagasse," I decided that gumbo was the way to go. Bittman's recipe is simple; Emeril's is complex. I opted for the middle ground and basically amalgamated the two.

Amazingly, I had everything that I needed in the fridge and pantry - including some spicy vegan sausage and frozen wild-caught shrimp. I used onion, garlic, and carrot as the aromatics, then added tomatoes and chicken stock. The okra, when cooked for a long time, breaks down and thickens the gumbo. A clump of white rice, they say, is traditional down on the bayou. It looks cool too.