Gumbo File'

• 1/2 pound crab meat picked over
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 tablespoons flour, all-purpose
• 1/4 cup onions chopped
• 1 pound okra rinsed, trimmed, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup ham chopped
• 16 ounces tomatoes, canned with juice
• 2 tablespoons green bell peppers finely chopped
• 2 each garlic cloves minced, mashed to paste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 each bay leaves
• 6 each parsley sprigs
• 1 each thyme sprigs
• 2 tablespoons celery leaves chopped
• 3/4 pound shrimp shelled
• 1 x cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon file' powder

1. In a heavy skillet, melt the shortening over mod-low heat.
2. Add flour and cook the roux, stirring constantly, for 30 minutes, or until it is the color of cocoa.
3. Stir in the onion and cook, stirring until onion begins to brown.
4. Add okra and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until okra is golden.
5. In a kettle, bring 8 cups water to a boil, add the roux mixture, ham, tomatoes, with juice, bell pepper, garlic paste, bay leaf, parsley, thyme, and celery leaves.
6. Simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally for 50 minutes.
7. Stir in the shrimp and lump crabmeat and simmer for 5 minutes or until shrimp are firm.
8. Season it with cayenne and salt.
9. Discard bay leaf and serve the gumbo sprinkled with file' powder.
10. Makes about 9 cups.

crab meat, vegetable shortening, flour, onions, okra, ham chopped, tomatoes, green bell peppers, garlic, salt, bay leaves, parsley sprigs, thyme, celery, shrimp, cayenne pepper, powder

Taken from recipeland.com/recipe/v/gumbo-file-33383 (may not work)