Veggie Gumbo

I'm not the biggest fan of meat substitutes but I recently found these vegan chorizo-style sausages which I thought would be perfect in a gumbo with it's delicious smoked paprika flavour. Traditionally a gumbo has chicken, prawn and a rich Andouille sausage. It should be a stew, rather than a soup, thickened by a rich dark roux.

Ingredients

for the gumbo

2 celery stalks, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 large onion, finely chopped

30g fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves

3 tbsp veg oil

2 tbsp cajun seasoning (see below)

750ml veg stock

250g okra, cut into 1cm slices

400g Black-eyed peas, tinned, drained

350g vegan chorizo-style sausages, cut into 1cm thick slices 

250g button mushrooms

400g chopped tomatoes, tinned

for the roux

75ml veg oil

30g all-purpose flour

to serve

2 spring onions, sliced

long grain rice

for the cajun seasoning

3 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp fine salt

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp ground white pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp dried thyme

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Place the okra and the mushrooms into separate roasting tins. Add a tbsp of veg oil each and stir through. Season with some salt and pepper and place the tins in the oven for about 20 minutes. 

In the meantime, make the roux by warming the veg oil in a saucepan on a medium to low heat. Add the flour and mix well to form a loose paste. Cook gently for 20 minutes, stirring regularly to make sure it doesn't catch and burn. As the roux cooks it should darken. The darker the better. Remove from the heat once done.

Next, in a large deep frying pan, add a tbsp of veg oil and fry the sliced vegan chorizo-style sausages over a medium to high heat. Turn the sausage discs over to cook evenly on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

With all the ingredients prepared add another tbsp of oil to the frying pan in which the sausages were cooked and add the chopped onions. Cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften. 

Add the celery and green pepper and cook for another 5 minutes before adding the garlic. Fry for another minute or so then add the Cajun seasoning and the black-eyed peas and the mushrooms from the roasting tin, including any juices.

Stir well to coat all the vegetables in the seasoning.

A minute later add the chopped tomatoes, and the veg stock. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes.

Put your rice on to boil. 

Remove the lid and add the okra. Cook uncovered for a further 5 minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper or more smoked paprika, cayenne pepper if necessary.

Finish off by adding the broth to the roux, a ladle at a time, over a low to medium heat. Continue to stir as you add to so that the dark paste becomes a runny sauce. 

Add it back to the gumbo, stir thoroughly and simmer for a few minutes until the broth thickens.

Serve warm over the boiled rice.