A traditional Louisiana gumbo served during Lent that’s based on lots of vegetables like collards, kale, turnip greens, and spinach.
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Green gumbo, or gumbo z’herbes, is a Lent tradition in Louisiana. Ironically, not always vegetarian, as this hearty stew is often served on Maundy Thursday to fortify believers for Good Friday fasting.
The tradition for gumbo z’herbes is to include many different types of greens in the gumbo – and always an odd number. Why? Apparently for every other green you add, you’ll find a new friend in the coming year.
Why and odd number? Not really sure, although I bet it has to do with old West African or French folklore. Gumbo zav, as pronounced in Louisiana, appears to be related to French Stew with herbsor the West Indian callaloo, which in turn has its origins in West African cuisine.
Which greens? Any you want. I used collards, kohlrabi, kale, kale, and dandelion greens. Other good options would be chard, spinach, parsley, mustard, arugula, radish tops, or carrot tops… you know.
A word on the roux: try to use peanut oil if you can find it, as it gives the gumbo an especially great Cajun flavor. Lard, while not vegetarian, would be my second choice. But normal vegetable oil works too.
The recipe below features a Cajun spice mix that yields more than you need for this gumbo. You can save it for later or serve it at the table with the filing powder.
If you’ve never heard of file powder, it’s the dried, ground leaves of sassafras. It adds a sweet flavor to the gumbo and also thickens it up a bit. Don’t add the file until the end of cooking, though, or they’ll turn into nasty, sticky threads.
Green Gumbo
ingredients
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1 Cup peanut oilLard or other vegetable oil
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1 1/4 cups flour
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2 cups chopped Onion
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1 Cup chopped green paprika
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1 Cup chopped celery
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4 cloves garlic
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2 bay leaves
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1 tablespoon cajun spice (see below)
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1 ham ankle, Optional
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10 cups water
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3 lb mixed green (ex. Kalecollards, mustard greens, turnip greens, spinach, chard, parsley, dandelion greens, beet greens), chopped (about 14 cups)
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Salt
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1 lb smoked andouille sausage, Optional
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file powder tasteOptional
Cajun spice mix
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1 teaspoon black pepper
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1 teaspoon cayenne
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1 teaspoon celery seed
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1 teaspoon dried thyme
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2 teaspoon dried oregano
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1 tablespoon garlic powder
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2 tablespoon sweet peppers
method
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Make the roux:
Start the gumbo by making a roux, which adds lots of flavor and thickens the gumbo. Heat a cup of peanut oil or lard (both are traditional roux ingredients) over medium-high heat for a minute or two, then stir in the flour. Mix so that there are no lumps.
Cook the roux over medium-high heat until the color is chocolate. It’s your choice how dark you let your roux rise. The darker it is, the better, but once the roux starts to darken, it can burn easily, so you’ll need to keep stirring and watching.
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Heat water to simmer:
While the roux is cooking, bring the 10 cups of water to a simmer.
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Add onions, celery, green peppers, and then garlic to the roux:
When the roux is dark enough, mix in the chopped onions, celery, and green peppers and turn the heat to medium-high. Let this cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies soften. Add the garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.
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Add bay leaves, spices, hot water:
Add the bay leaves and Cajun seasoning and slowly stir in the hot water. The roux will set at first, but keep stirring and everything will combine into a silky broth.
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Add the ham, vegetables, cover and let simmer:
Add the ham shank and all the greens. Taste for salt, but keep in mind that the ham shank will be salty, so leave the broth a little undersalted for now. If you want to add more Cajun seasoning, do so now. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
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Scoop the meat off the ham shank bones, chop, and return to the pot:
Check the ham shank. If the meat falls off the bone, remove it, discard the bones, trim the meat and return to the pot. If the hock isn’t done yet, let the gumbo continue to simmer; Ham legs don’t always cook at the same speed.
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Add andouille sausage:
Once the knuckle is done, add the andouille and cook for another 15 minutes.
Serve at the table with filing powder.
Links:
Green Gumbo with Clam Juice – by No Recipes
Green Gumbo with Fresh Corn and Okra – by Not Eating Out in New York
Wild Game Gumbo – by Hunter Angler Gardener Cook
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 270 | calories |
| 19g | Fat |
| 23g | carbohydrates |
| 5g | protein |
