Take a large heavy stock pot or Dutch oven and place over medium-high heat. Add the sliced bacon and render the fat till the bacon in browned. Remove the cooked bacon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot. Turn the heat to high and add the onion, bell pepper, and celery to the pot. Add two large pinches of salt and continue to cook the vegetables. As the vegetables begin to render their water content, turn down the heat to medium. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon and let a deep, rich caramel develop on the vegetables.
Once the vegetables have been browned, add the chili flakes and toast. The heat will remove some of the capsaicin. Turn up the heat to high and deglaze the pot with the red wine. Add the bay leaf, tomatoes, and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer and turn down the heat to medium-low. Let simmer for 1 hour, stirring frequently so that the tomatoes don’t burn. In the last 20 minutes, add the okra which will thicken the gumbo.
Take the pot off the heat and ladle the gumbo into a food mill. Run the food mill until the product is finished. Alternatively, you can use a blender but the gumbo will come out finer and less rustic. Add the milled product back to pot and add the bacon. Simmer for another 10 minutes to soften the bacon.
Serve over rice and choice of meat.
Makes 1 Gallon & Gluten Free
