Grandmother's Shrimp Gumbo

Start by cooking the sausage in a skillet over medium heat until it's browned, then remove the sausage and discard any excess fat. Next, cook the chopped bacon in the same skillet until it's crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the cooked bacon and set it aside.

Now, add the chopped okra to the skillet with the remaining bacon drippings and cook until it's tender, taking about 5 minutes. Remove the okra from the skillet with a colander and discard the bacon drippings.

In a separate saucepan, combine the cooked okra with diced tomatoes and heat it over medium heat until it simmers. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for around 10 minutes.

In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium heat and cook the chopped onion, green onions, green pepper, celery, parsley, and garlic until they start to brown, taking about 10 minutes. Remove the cooked vegetables from the pot but leave the melted butter behind.

Next, add flour to the pot and cook it over low heat until it reaches a rich brown color, stirring constantly. This process should take around 30 to 45 minutes and you want to avoid letting the mixture burn.

Once the roux has reached its desired color, whisk in 2 cups of water and raise the heat to medium. Add salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot, then bring it to a boil. Stir in the cooked sausage, bacon, okra-tomato mixture, and 6 more cups of water. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until the soup has thickened and the flavors have blended together.

Finally, add the cooked shrimp to the pot and let it simmer until they turn pink and opaque, taking about 6 to 8 more minutes. Discard the bay leaves before serving and adjust the seasonings if needed.