Shreveport Chicken And Shrimp Gumbo - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1/3 cup sliced green onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups of spicy v-8 vegetable juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
28 ounces whole tomatoes, cut up with juice (undrained)
16 ounces frozen okra
1 1/2 lbs medium shrimp, deveined and shelled
2 cups chicken, cooked and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
4 cups cooked rice
2 teaspoons gumbo file powder (ground Sassafras leaves)

Preparation

Combine flour and oil in a large pot or a 5 quart Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until a dark reddish-brown roux forms in 20 - 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat and immediately add the onions, green onions, green peppers, celery, and garlic. Stir well and return to heat and stir frequently for 8 - 10 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Add chicken broth, V-8, salt, thyme, bay leaves, cayenne pepper, tomatoes, and okra. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for an hour, stirring periodically.
Stir in chicken and shrimp and remove bay leaves. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve 1 1/2 cups of gumbo over 1/2 cup of rice. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of file powder to each bowl and Tabasco to taste.