Briefly heat the olive oil in a nonstick kettle or Dutch oven. Add the onion, and sauté it over medium-low heat, stirring it often, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook the vegetables for another 30 seconds. Add the green bell pepper, red bell pepper, 1/4 cup of the parsley, the thyme, salt, Tabasco sauce, and cayenne, and cook the ingredients, stirring them often, for 3 minutes.

Add the broth and tomatoes, stir the ingredients, and bring the mixture to a simmer.

Meanwhile, place the browned flour (if you are using it) in a small bowl, and stir in the cold water, whisking the mixture to form a smooth paste. Gradually add the flour mixture to the simmering broth, stirring the ingredients constantly. Cook the broth mixture over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.

Add the okra to the simmering broth, and cook the vegetable for 5 minutes. Stir in the monkfish (or monkfish and shrimp-see "Preparation tips"), and cook the soup for another 5 minutes or until the fish is just done. Sprinkle the soup with the remaining parsley.

To serve the gumbo, place about 1/3 cup of hot rice in each bowl, and ladle the gumbo over the rice.