• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• garlic, minced
• seven ounces tomato concasse, with juice
• chicken stock to cover
• 1/2 cup cooked, sliced okra
• about 10 ounces cooked, shredded chicken meat
• 8 ounces shrimp, halved
• oregano
• thyme
• chili powder
• cayenne
• sea salt
• black pepper

1. Procedure:
2. 1. In your soup pot over medium-high heat, melt oil and butter together. Whisk in flour to make a roux. Stir constantly until mixture looks like wet sand and smells like popcorn.
3. 2. Stir in onion, celery, garlic, and bell pepper to coat in roux.
4. 3. Sprinkle in herbs and spices and stir to mix.
5. 4. Cover with chicken stock, add tomatoes, chicken, and shrimp.
6. 5. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked but not limp. The roux will also cook and thicken the soup a bit.
7. 6. Stir in okra.
8. 7. Rest in refrigerator overnight, warm, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
9. Download the .pdf.
10. See recipes, stories, reviews and more at food. according to me.

This is a very forgiving, very flexible soup. Sometimes I add rice (about 1 cup cooked) to make it heartier, or andouille (4 ounces or so) for a zingier flavor. It is best to make a day or two before you plan on serving it, as a night in the fridge does wonders to marry and intensify the flavors. Yields about two quarts. Download the .pdf. See recipes, stories, reviews and more at food. according to me.