Man... I've made this probably 15+ times in the last 3 years and never taken more than 15 mins to do the roux. Mine's not black, but its definitely brick. I just leave the heat at 8 and stir like a Red Raider bell ringer. Why is it taking y'all so long?

I already made a dang good gumbo if I do say so myself, but I just made a batch the other day and incorporated the pured veggie idea in the recipe in the OP.

I think it's a genius addition. Not only because it adds another layer of flavor, but it also makes the gumbo more palatable for kids who say they don't like onions or green peppers. They see less chunks and don't know it's still in there.

A few additional suggestions to the recipe in the OP:

- Go with Alton Brown's baked roux cheat, which is the only way I do roux anymore. The flavor is just as good, and it makes timing everything up so simple, because you can do everything else while your roux is baking. Not only is it super-easy and almost impossible to burn, but it makes it very easy to reduce the oil in the roux (see below).

- To make it really easy to skim your oil from your gumbo, bake your roux and plan to stir it a couple times in the last 15 minutes before you combine with your stock and veggies. Before each of those last two stirs, the oil can easily be poured off or scooped off with a ladle first. This leaves you without nearly as much oil to skim off from your gumbo, to the point you can really skip skimming any more entirely. But you still have the right proportions for your roux for almost the entire bake.

- Brown your andouille first and then brown your chicken in the caramelized andouille goodness. If you're going to add shrimp or other seafood try deglazing your browning pan with sherry and then adding to the pot. Adds a great flavor but better w seafood gumbo IMO.

- when doing the trinity puree, press and drain the liquid straight into the stock pot before adding the pure to the browning pan for a quick soften