As a general rule, I rarely follow recipes to the dime and I definitely discourage doing so with mine. Vegetables and proteins can vary in size and flavor, as can the size of your pot or the strength of your heat. So, that being said, here's a rough run down of my gumbo.
Dark Roux - Mixture of toasted flour in vegetable oil
Onions - 3/4 Diced
Celery - 2 heads Diced
Green Peppers - 4/5 Diced
Garlic Cloves - 10/12 Chopped
Shallots - 2/3 Chopped
Andouille or Smoked Sausage - 2-3 lbs
Roasted Chicken - 2 Whole Chickens
Bay Leaves - 8-10
Garlic Powder - 1 Tablespoon
Onion Powder - 1 Tablespoon
Paprika - 1 Tablespoon
File Powder - 2 teaspoon
Dried Parsley - 1 Tablespoon
Salt and Pepper to taste
Tomato Paste - 1 Tablespoon
Worcesteshire - 2 Tablespoons
Chicken Stock - 3 quarts
Green Onions and Rice for Garnish
Directions: I like to make the roux the day before. I start with about 1-1/2 cups of vegetable oil and get it very hot in a dutch oven pot. Once there is some white smoke coming off the oil, I'll add in 1-1/2 cups of flour and stir. You MUST stir consistently making sure not to let any flour sit on the bottom of the pan otherwise it will burn. Keep stirring until the flour gets to a peanut butter - chocolate color. If you feel comfortable going darker, then go right ahead. When your color is good, turn the heat off stir a few more minutes and then just let it sit and cool down for a couple hours. Some oil will sit on top. Once cool, discard the oil on top and containerize until you're ready to make the gumbo.
To make the gumbo, chop and sweat the sausage until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. Sweat your garlic and shallots in the remaining fat from the sausage. Add a little vegetable oil if needed. Once the garlic and shallots are golden, toss in the onions and caramelize. Then add the celery and peppers. Cook them down for 3-5 minutes, then add your dry spices, worcesteshire, tomato paste and bay leaves. Next add about 1 cup of your dark roux. Let it get hot and thick, then add in your chicken stock.
Bring to a low boil and check the thickness. You won't get the full scope of the roux until its been brought to a low boil. Then add stock or roux if you want it thicker or thinner. Once you have the desired thickness, add in your chicken meat and sausage. Let simmer for 1-2 hours on very low heat. Salt to taste throughout cooking.
Add steam rice and or chopped green onions to garnish.