In a bowl, make the ‘trinity + garlic’ mixture by combining the onion, celery, bell peppers and garlic. Mix well. Remove 1 ½ cups of this mixture and transfer to a separate bowl (you’ll add this to the gumbo towards the end). Set both bowls aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the water, bouillon base, fire-roasted tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, wine, tamari, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, fresh oregano, fresh thyme, hot pepper (if using), mustard and liquid smoke. Set aside.

Now you are ready to make the roux! In a large, clean, well-greased cast-iron skillet (be sure to wipe out any residue), heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add the flour and stir constantly with a large wooden spatula, until it is well combined. Reduce the heat to medium and continue stirring until the roux is dark brown, 15 to 20 minutes. The goal here is to toast the flour and oil while preventing the mixture from burning. You do this by moving the flour and oil mixture constantly. If you stop for only a moment, the roux will burn and you will have to start over.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the larger amount of the trinity mixture (not the reserved 1 ½ cups). Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are soft, 5 to 7 minutes.

Make the Creole spice blend; mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined. Then add the whole spice blend to the vegetables and mix well. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently, toasting all of the spices. Now you have the base of your gumbo!

Transfer the base to a large stockpot. Add the stock mixture, fresh corn (if using), and bay leaves. Mix well, cover and bring to a boil. Stir every so often to prevent the bottom from burning. Once at a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, to reduce and thicken the gumbo.

Add the green onions, okra, the remaining ½ cup parsley, desired proteins, and the reserved 1 ½ cups trinity garlic mixture. If desired, add 1 to 2 cups of water to loosen the gumbo. Simmer for another 20 minutes. Give the gumbo a taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Feel free to add more cayenne pepper at this point to make it more spicy, if desired.

To serve, ladle gumbo into serving bowls, removing bay leaves. Add a scoop of cooked rice on top and sprinkle with the chopped parsley and green onions.