Gumbo Soup

1. Wash the bell pepper, remove the tail and seeds. Cut into medium pieces. Peel the onion and cut it into half rings or just small pieces to your taste. Cut the washed celery into slices, chop the peeled garlic. In okra (if fresh), cut off the tail and clean around it in a circle. Cut into slices. Put the tomatoes in boiling water for half a minute (make a shallow incision before that), peel, cut into cubes.
2. Peel the shrimp, cut the sausage into strips or cubes to your taste.
3. Preheat a saucepan with a thick bottom over moderate heat.
4. Pour vegetable oil into it, pour flour, mix. Continue to keep on fire and stir constantly until the mass turns golden brown. This process takes about 5 minutes. This is an important stage on which the special taste of gumbo soup depends.
5. Add the prepared green bell pepper, celery and onion to the resulting mass. Add garlic. Mix everything and cook them until softened - literally about 3 minutes.
6. Pour in the chicken broth, mix well until the contents of the pan become thick and homogeneous.
7. Put shrimp, chopped sausage, tomatoes, okra in a saucepan.
8. Add herbs and spices: oregano, thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt. Try it with salt. If necessary, add it.
9. Cook the soup on low heat for 10 minutes.
10. Chop the green onions.
11. Arrange the soup on serving plates, sprinkle with chopped green onions and ground black pepper on top.

Gumbo soup is ready. Serve it to the table immediately from the fire - hot and fragrant! Bon appetit!