Lunch: Andouille and Roasted Squash Gumbo

Ingredients

1 butternut squash or small pumpkin (1 1/2 pounds), peeled and diced to bite-size pieces
Olive oil spray
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 pound andouille, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon smoked paprika or sweet paprika
2 to 3 ribs celery with leafy tops, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
8 ounces fresh okra, sliced, or one 10-ounce box sliced frozen okra, defrosted, optional
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 large fresh bay leaf
1 Fresno chile pepper, thinly sliced
2 cups chicken stock
1 bottle lager beer
One 32-ounce can stewed tomatoes
Hot sauce
Sliced scallions, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the squash on a baking sheet and spray with the olive oil spray and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Roast until tender and brown at the edges, 20 to 25 minutes.
Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of oil and the sausage, cook until brown, then remove. Add the remaining oil, some black pepper, flour and paprika, and stir. Cook until brown and very fragrant, 20 minutes. Add the celery, onions and bell peppers, season with salt and pepper and soften, 5 minutes. Add the okra, thyme, garlic, bay leaf and chile peppers, stir a few minutes more. Add the stock, beer and tomatoes and the hot sauce, to taste. Add the sausage back to the gumbo, simmer to thicken, 20 to 30 minutes. Add the squash and stir to combine. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal. Reheat over medium heat. Serve in shallow bowls and top with the scallions.

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