The most important part of gumbo is the roux. The following recipe was from a coon ass from the southern bayou of Louisiana. This style of roux is his grandmothers who only spoke Acadian. Add 1 cup of cooking oil per large cup of flour. Start off on medium-high heat until mixture gets hot. The mixture is suppose to be the consistency of mustard when starting out. Cook very slowly and carefully until brown. This will take quite a while if done properly. Use a specula to keep flour and oil scraped off the bottom of the pan and go easy on the heat. Even slight scorching will make it bitter and ruin the roux. It should be mahogany in color, or even the color of fudge, when it is ready. Remove from heat  and keep stirring from the bottom until it cools enough that it stops cooking. Let it stand and the excess grease will float on top and can be poured off and blotted with a paper towel to remove excess oil. The rue can be frozen in Tupperware and used later.

Sausage and chicken gumbo is a wintertime favorite if seafood is hard to find. Boil vegetables and meat together with salt and pepper for 30 minutes. Allow to completely cool so fat will float to top and be removed. If you are using chicken (highly recommended) this is the time to de-bone and remove skin. Bring all meats and vegetables to rolling boil and start adding roux, a couple of spoon full at a time. Take care not to add too much as it will thicken your mixture. Cook at a fast simmer, stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper to your liking. The longer it cooks the better it will be. Just before turning off heat, stir in the file', serve over a bed of cooked, washed rice.