Jennie’s Gumbo: The One Email That Became a Family Tradition

Some recipes are passed down in well-worn cookbooks. Some are scribbled on index cards.

Ours arrived in the form of a single email Jennie sent in 2011—after Thanksgiving—when our family was scattered in different places and needed her to “just finally share the gumbo recipe.”

Jennie didn’t send a yearly update. She didn’t create a formal document. She simply wrote what she knew, in the only voice she ever used — warm, direct, funny, and unmistakably Jennie.

That one email became the recipe we’ve made for more than a decade. And now it’s part of our family story.

Who Jennie Was

Jennie Lewis (1977–2012) was the life of the party. She was the one everyone called when they needed a recipe, a laugh, or a reality check. She cooked with instinct, attitude, and joy. If LSU was winning, the gumbo got spicy. If they were losing, it got even spicier. Jennie didn’t measure ingredients; she measured moments. And her gumbo tasted like connection — the kind that brings people back together the weekend after Thanksgiving.

“Everyone has their own style of gumbo. If anyone from Louisiana gives you crap about your recipe…

tell them to shove it. If it tastes good, then stop yer bitchin’.”

Find a better gumbo philosophy.

Why Her Gumbo Became a Tradition

Jennie didn’t write the recipe to enshrine it. She wrote it because her people needed her and she showed up.

The gumbo itself is everything good about Southern cooking: slow, intentional, rich, soulful, built from leftovers and bones and love. It is now how our family spends the Friday after Thanksgiving. Every year, we stir the pot.  Every year, Jennie shows up again.

Jennie’s Post-Thanksgiving Turkey & Sausage Gumbo

As written by Jennie Lewis (1977–2012). Preserved exactly in her cadence.

Prep + Cook Time

• Prep: 20 minutes

• Stock: 3 hours

• Roux + Assembly: 45 ~ 60 minutes (some assembly required)

• Total: 4 hours (-ish)

• Serves: 8 ~10 hungry people

Ingredients

For the Stock

• Turkey carcass

• 1 onion, quartered

• 4 stalks celery

• 1 carrot, quartered (“sometimes I skip the carrot because I don’t have one”)

• 2-3 toes garlic

• 2 tbsp seasoning (salt + pepper or Tony’s)

• Handful parsley

• 2-3 bay leaves

• Water

• Pulled turkey meat (reserved)

For the Holy Trinity

• 1 large onion

• 2 bell peppers

• 4 stalks celery (“Use the heart of the celery — more flavor!”)

• 1–2 toes garlic

For the Sausage

• 2 lbs andouille or smoked sausage

For the Roux

• 2 cups flour

• 2 cups fat (turkey fat, duck fat, bacon fat, butter, olive oil, or a mix)

For Serving

• Rice

• French bread (“not sourdough”)

• Green onion or parsley

Instructions — In Jennie’s Voice

Make the Turkey Stock

“Start this in the morning or on Thanksgiving night.”

Place turkey carcass, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, seasoning, parsley, and bay leaves into a stock pot. Cover with water. Simmer low-to-medium for 3 hours.

Strain the stock, then pick the meat off the bones and set aside.

“If you make this the night before, you can cool it enough to skim the fat.”

Return strained stock to pot. Add turkey meat.

Chop the Holy Trinity

Dice onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Set aside

Brown the Sausage

Cook 2 lbs sausage in a pan until browned.

“If you use andouille, taste it to check the spice level.”

Add sausage to the stock.

Make the Roux

Equal parts flour + fat.

Cook on medium heat, whisking constantly for 30–45 minutes. You’re aiming for deep caramel, aka “pecan brown.”

“It will have a smell kind of like burning popcorn…Push the color a bit, don’t be too restrained, but don’t burn it.”

Once the roux is the right color, add the chopped Trinity. This stops the roux from browning further. Cook until translucent.

Build the Gumbo

Add the roux-and-trinity mixture into the stock one spoonful at a time, stirring constantly to keep it smooth. Simmer 30–60 minutes.

“It will be even better the following day so put some aside.”

How Jennie Served It

• “You can serve with rice but I only put a spoonful in my gumbo. Too much gets in the way.”

• “Serve with good French bread (not sourdough).”

• Garnish with green onion and parsley.

• “Face time with any questions.”

• And of course: “GEAUX GEAUX GEAUX Tigers.”

The Legacy

Jennie never set out to leave behind a signature dish. She simply emailed us what we asked for, and it became something lasting.

Every time this gumbo returns to the stove, Jennie shows up again.

In the instructions.

In the sass.

In the warmth.

In the togetherness.

This is more than a recipe. It’s the kind of Southern tradition worth commemorating.