New Orleans Restoration Shrimp & Andouille Sausage Gumbo

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
4 Stalks Celery, chopped coarse
2 Medium Onions, chopped coarse
2 Green Bell Peppers; seeded, cored & chopped
2 Bay Leaves
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Dried Oregano, crumble
1/2 tsp Cayenne
40 oz Clam Juice
28 oz Canned Plum Tomatoes, drained & chopped
1 lb Smoked Andouille Sausage, halved lengthwise & cut into 1/4" slices
1/2 lb Okra, trimmed & cut crosswise into 1/4" slices
2 lb Uncooked Medium Shrimp, peeled & de-veined
Cooked Long Grain Rice
2 Tomatoes, seeded & diced

Messin' it up:
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until it is almost smoking.
Add the flour and cook, stirring, until dark reddish brown (about 8 minutes).
Add the Holy Trinity [celery, onions and bell peppers] all at once.
Cook 5 minutes, stirring - keep from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Mix in the bay leaves, salt, oregano and cayenne.
Now add the clam juice, plum tomatoes and sausage.
Boil 15 minutes.
Add the okra and reduce heat.
Simmer until the okra is tender and
then add the shrimp.
Simmer until just cooked through (about 3 minutes).
Scoop the rice in each soup bowl and pour in the gumbo.
Garnish with diced tomato.

* * please contribute to a New Orleans relief effort