Gumbo z'herbes

Gumbo z'herbes | NOLA.com

Published: Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 12:21 PM Updated: Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 4:21 PM

By The Times-Picayune

TP

MORE BELOW (about this recipe and the author)*

Gumbo z'herbes
Makes 8 or more servings

Greens, at least five types (seven or eight is better), one bunch each: collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, green onions, parsley, watercress, spinach, beet tops, radish tops, small head of green cabbage, chicory, carrot tops
2 quarts plus 1/3 cup cool water, divided ½ cup vegetable oil
(2/3) cup flour
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 pound lean baked ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 pound Creole (Polish, French garlic) smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 pound lean veal, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large ham bone
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne
2 whole bay leaves
6 whole allspice
2 whole cloves
Boiled rice, for serving

Wash greens thoroughly, taking care to remove all sand; trim off tough stem ends or discolored outer leaves. Place greens in a colander, and rinse under cool running water. Let excess water drain off, then place damp greens in a heavy eight-quart pot. Add one-third cup cool water to pot and place over high heat.

Bring liquid at bottom of pot to a boil, then cover pot tightly, reduce heat to medium, and cook until greens are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain greens in a colander placed over a large bowl to catch liquid formed during cooking; reserve liquid. Chop greens fine and set aside.

In the same eight-quart pot, washed and well-dried, heat oil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and gradually add flour, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring continuously, until roux is golden brown (the color of peanut butter). Promptly add onions; cook five minutes, stirring well. Thoroughly mix in cubed ham, sausage, veal, and reserved greens cooking liquid.

Gradually add greens, then ham bone, salt, marjoram, thyme, ground peppers, bay leaves, allspice and cloves. Slowly add two quarts cool water, stirring well. Bring to a boil, then slowly simmer for 1 1/4 hours. Serve over rice.

*MORE about this recipe and the author:

Louann Morehouse, who moved to New Orleans in 1987, loves fresh greens, so it's no wonder she's attracted to gumbo z'herbes, which is made with many different greens in the same pot. Her recipe is from Rima and Richard Collin's "The New Orleans Cookbook, " published in 1975 by Knopf. (More gumbo recipes and stories.)

Morehouse, a Florida native, first prepared the traditional Lenten dish about 17 years ago for Christmas Eve, when she and her husband, Robin, and their children, Caitlin and Lucas, who were very young, lived in Nova Scotia. The gumbo has since become one of the family's all-occasion favorites.

Over the years, the Lakeview resident has put her stamp on the original recipe given below. For example, in place of the veal she substitutes additional baked ham. Also, she omits the marjoram and tinkers with the amounts of other spices used.

She often substitutes chicken stock for the water and adds green bell peppers and celery to the roux along with the onions.

She always puts turnip greens and either collards or mustards in the gumbo. But when she's rushed or can't find fresh greens, she resorts to frozen ones, which she adds after the fresh greens are cooked. For the best tasting gumbo z'herbes, she advises never substituting frozen greens for more than one-third of the total greens used.

"I love greens and always like to eat something extremely nutritious, " says Morehouse, who is executive director of the Tennessee Williams Festival. "The gumbo is delicious and is actually better the day after it's made. And it goes really well with cornbread."

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