Saturday Afternoon

Made some great Beef Gumbo last night. I'd never made it with beef before. I think it's even better than the chicken or seafood. I started off with 3+ lbs. of stew beef. (Didn't bother to try to brown it in oil or fat.) Simmered that till tender (2+ hours) in one large can of tomato juice, a can of double-rich bouillon, and some water to cover, along with 1/2 chopped large red onion, 1 chopped stalk celery, salt and pepper, and a bay leaf. Removed the meat and boiled the liquid down a bit, adding another 1/2 chopped onion, a chopped bell pepper and a package of Andouille sausage, sliced up. When the vegs were done (and the sausage cooked), added 1/2 cup of rice, a large can of crushed tomatoes, a bag of frozen gumbo soup mix, a half bag of frozen okra (there was no fresh okra to be had), a small can of corn (drained), the meat, a lot of Louisiana hot sauce, two tablespoons of basil, and a little more salt. Cooked up perfect in about 20 minutes. (No, I do not use a roux. This doesn't need thickening.) After it sat overnight in the refrigerator, we heated some up for lunch. B. loved it. This has got to be a pretty healthy meal, notwithstanding the sausage--the stew beef is very lean, and it's loaded with vegetables.