Instructions: Put the onion, scallion, bell pepper, celery, okra, garlic, and parsley in a saucepan and cook while stirring for 5 minutes. Stir in the dry roux and slowly blend in the water. Add the bay leaf, thyme, pepper, and cayenne and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the crab and the chicken, cover the pot, and continue simmering for 30 minutes. To Serve, spoon the gumbo into warm soup bowls and top with 1/2 cup rice in the center of each. Serve immediately.

MENU IDEA: Shrimp Remoulade; Okra, Chicken and Crab Gumbo; Tomato and Green-Onion Citronette; Ambrosia

Notes from the Chapter on Soups, Bisques and Gumbo. Use 1 gumbo (Blue)

crab, cleaned and quartered. Since the roux is made before you start the gumbo (always be sure that it is), there are no tricks to getting this right. The preparation is as simple as it sounds and as delicious as some far more complicated preparations.

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