Green gumbo or gumbo of herbs, with green leafy vegetables is soooo New Orleans. This Creole gumbo or Lenten soup is traditionally served on Holy Thursday a few days before Easter and before you break the Lenten fast. I serve it during the winter when local greens are abundant at the local farmer’s market. If you don’t have fresh greens you can substitute frozen vegetables. My version is meatless. Many New Orleans chefs, like the famous Leah Chase, season the gumbo with ham or spicy pork sausage and other meats. This gumbo is easy to make because it allows you complete free expression in combining your favorite greens. It always tastes wonderful and it is almost impossible to ruin. Best when served with your favorite hot sauce!
Gumbo Z’Herbes
-
- Prep Time
- Minutes
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- Cook Time
- Minutes
Ingredients
- 1 -2 bags/bunches fresh spinach
- 1 bunch mustard greens, chopped
- 1 bunch turnip greens, chopped
- 1 bunch collard greens, chopped
- ½ cabbage shredded and chopped
- 2 qts water
- 1 stick butter, 8 TBSP
- 2 onions chopped
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped bell pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- pinch of cayenne, salt and pepper to taste
- 5 TBSP flour
- Options: Some people like to add stew meat or ham to gumbo • 1 dozen oysters can also be added to gumbo just before serving
Instructions
- In a skillet melt ½ stick butter and sauté onions, bell pepper, and celery. The Holy Trinity of Creole cooking!! Set aside. If you decide to use sausage and ham, slice and sauté separately and set aside.
- Wash the greens thoroughly to remove sand and grit. Fill a large pot with 2 qts water and add all of fresh greens, cabbage, bay leaves, basil, thyme, allspice, and cloves. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Add sautéed veggies to greens. Continue to simmer for another 30 minutes.
- Then add green onions, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne.
- Remove bay leaves. Then remove about a quart of the gumbo from pot and puree in blender or food processor. Return puree to pot and continue to simmer for 2 hours. Add cooked meats now if you wish to make a heartier gumbo.
- Just before serving, take 1/2 stick of room temp butter, add to flour and make a paste. Just blend it together with a fork or a wooden spoon. Add a little of the paste at a time into the pot and stir in. This will make the gumbo thick. I also adjust the seasonings at this point and add a little more thyme, basil, salt, pepper and cayenne if needed.
- If you decide to add oysters, this is the time to do so. Let them simmer briefly in the soup until poached for about 10 minutes. Can serve over rice if you wish. I like it straight from the pot with a little hot sauce added for extra spice!!!
- Servings : 10-12
- Recipe Type : All Recipes, Mains, Soups, Vegetable Dishes & Sides, vegetarian
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