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Recipe courtesy of Richard Stewart of the Gumbo Shop
As a predominantly Catholic community and specially so during
its formative years, many old New Orleans customs owe their origin
to the laws of the Church and the liturgical calendar. Twelfth
Night celebrations, King Cake parties, and other Mardi Gras related
activities still punctuate the city's social calendar.
Shortly after Comus meets Rex on Mardi Gras evening, Lent commences
- a time when all good Catholics refrain (somewhat) from indulgences
of the flesh - including the eating of flesh, such as meat based
gumbos. The natural reaction of early New Orleanians was to
please the pope and the palette by concocting a gumbo just as
tasty and indulgent of the senses, but without the offending
meat. Thus was born Gumbo Z'Herbs.
Loosely translated from the French "gumbo des herbs"
as "gumbo made of herbs," or greens, and sometimes
referred to as gumbo verte. The basic structure of the dish
is the same as other gumbos, with a variety of fresh greens replacing
the Andouille sausage, chicken, duck, shrimp, crabs, and oysters.
First you make a roux, then add chopped onion, celery and bell
pepper - the standard Creole beginning. Meanwhile fresh collard
greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, spinach, carrot tops,
beet tops, cabbage, kale, and whatever other greens are available
are chopped and simmered in water until just tender. Add this
to the roux mixture with plenty of seasoning, and that's a basic
gumbo z'herbs.
Recipe:
1 and 1/3 cups olive oil
2 cups flour
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped bell pepper
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup minced shallots
1/4 cup minced garlic
6 bay leaves
1 and 1/2 black pepper
2 teaspoons white pepper
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon salt
1 lb. mushrooms, smoked*
1 gallon water
1 bunch collard greens
1 small head cabbage
10 oz turnip greens
10 oz mustard greens
1 bunch green onions
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 lb red beans, cooked**
In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over a
medium high flame. Add the flour and stir until a peanut butter
colored roux is attained. immediately add the onion, bell pepper,
and celery. Saute until vegetables are tender and start to stick
and brown a little. Add the shallots, garlic, herbs, salt, and
peppers. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, bring the water (and bean water
- see below**) to a boil. Chop the collards and cabbage into
one inch squares and boil until just tender. Add the turnip
greens, mustard greens and green onions and return to a boil.
Coarsely chop the smoked mushrooms. Add it to the roux mixture
and cook for 2 minutes. Carefully stir the roux-vegetable-mushroom
mixture into the simmering greens, and return to a boil. Add
the parsley, cooked red beans, and soy sauce to taste. Bring
to a boil one more time, then turn off the fire. Serve over
rice.
The dish is best refrigerated over night then reheated. This
recipe yields about two gallons of gumbo.
*To smoke the mushrooms, wash one pound of medium side mushrooms,
trim the bottom of the stems, and place on a pan in a smoker
for about 45 minutes.
**To cook red beans, rinse and sort 1 lb of red beans, cover
with water and soak over night. Simmer over a low fire for 1-2
hours, until just tender. Drain, reserving the water to use
as part of the water for cooking the greens.
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Updated
2/20/2000
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