Gumbo Zerbes Recipes

GUMBO Z'HERBES

Steps:

• Place the meat, if using, with the salt, cayenne, and bay leaves in a large deep pot and add water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 30 minutes. If using meat, remove it with a slotted spoon, chop it, and set aside.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add the greens, a handful at a time, and blanch until they are wilted, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving the liquid. Coarsely chop the greens. Set aside.
• In the same pot, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onions, bell peppers, and celery. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are wilted and golden, about 10 minutes.
• Add the meat, greens, reserved liquid, thyme, oregano, basil, and parsley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the bay leaves. Adjust seasonings with salt, if desired. (If not using meat, the gumbo may need more salt.) Also, if no meat has been added, add 4 tablespoons butter to the pot just before removing from the heat.
• Serve in deep soup bowls over steamed white rice with file powder passed at the table for guests to thicken the gumbo to their personal taste. Serve with hot sauce, if desired.

GUMBO Z'HERBES

Steps:

• In a stockpot or large saucepan, heat the bacon fat. Add the ham hock and onions and cook for 10 minutes, until onions are softened and slits in ham hock have begun to open up. Add garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and cayenne pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chopped greens, parsley, green onions and cabbage and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until greens are wilted. Add broth or water and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil, skim surface, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 2 1/2 hours, until greens are very tender. Season with salt and pepper and add file, to taste, just before serving in large bowls over hot white rice. (Do not allow gumbo to boil after adding the file.)

GUMBO Z'HERBES WITH PERFECT RICE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy extra-large pot over medium-high heat. Add ham; sauté until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl and reserve. Melt butter in same large pot over medium-high heat. Add leeks and celery. Sauté until vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Add green onions, parsley, and garlic. Sauté until onions wilt, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add filé powder, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Stir 3 minutes. Add collard greens, mustard greens, watercress, spinach, and sugar. Toss to combine. Add 2 cups broth. Cover and cook until all greens are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
• Working in batches of 2 cups, puree greens in processor, scraping down sides occasionally. Transfer puree to bowl.
• Heat 10 tablespoons oil in same pot over medium-high heat. Add flour; whisk until smooth. Cook until roux is peanut butter color, whisking often, about 7 minutes. Whisk in remaining 8 cups broth and bring to boil, whisking often. Add greens puree, then ham. Simmer gumbo 10 minutes to blend flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly; chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.)
• Mound 1/4 cup warm rice in center of each bowl. Ladle gumbo around rice.
• *A powder made from ground sassafras leaves; available in the spice section of some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

GUMBO Z'HERBES

Steps:

• Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a 6- to 8-quart wide heavy pot. Add cabbage and simmer, covered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer cabbage with tongs to a colander reserving cooking liquid, then add half of mustard, turnip, and beet greens to cooking liquid. Simmer uncovered, 5 minutes. Transfer greens with tongs to colander with cabbage, then cook remaining greens in same manner and transfer to colander. When greens are cool enough to handle, finely chop.
• Add ham hocks to cooking liquid (liquid will not cover them completely) and simmer, covered, 1 hour. Transfer with tongs to a cutting board to cool. Transfer ham broth to a bowl, adding water if necessary to measure 5 cups liquid. Discard skin, bones, and fat and finely chop ham.
• Cook onions and garlic in butter in pot over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Add ham broth in a slow stream, stirring constantly. Add chopped greens, ham, thyme, and minced chile and simmer, uncovered, until greens are tender, about 8 minutes.
• Gradually add spinach, stirring until wilted. Stir in parsley, vinegar, and salt. Serve with hot sauce and additional vinegar if desired.

GUMBO Z'HERBES

Steps:

• Cut leeks in half lengthwise, then slice both white and green parts crosswise into 1/4-inch thick pieces. Remove and discard stems from collard greens, turnip greens, kale, and chard; chop all greens, keeping them separate. Dice celery stalks and reserve leaves for garnish.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add leeks and 1 tablespoon thyme; cook, stirring frequently, until leeks are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add collard greens, turnip greens, and cabbage; cook, stirring frequently, until greens are wilted, about 5 minutes. Add kale, chard, and 1 tablespoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until all greens are wilted, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking greens, stirring frequently, until tender and no longer bitter, about 10 minutes. Remove greens from the pot and transfer to a large bowl; set aside until ready to use.
• Wipe out the pot and melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until flour mixture is dark brown in color and very aromatic (try to get this mixture as dark as possible without burning it), about 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, onion, and diced celery; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and remaining 1 tablespoon thyme; cook, stirring constantly, until tender and fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Whisk in vegetable broth. Add reserved braised greens, add bay leaves, black pepper, file powder, and crushed red pepper. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Season with remaining 1 tablespoon salt.
• Serve over cooked rice and garnish with reserved celery leaves, if desired.

GUMBO 'ZERBES

Steps:

• Wash the greens, roll them up and shred them finely, and measure them.
• Steam them in the water that clings to them.
• Set them aside, with any cooking liquid from them.
• Mix the peeled chopped onion with the seasonings.
• Set aside.
• Make a roux by cooking the fat and flour, stirring constantly, until it browns, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add the seasoned onions, and cook them slowly for 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
• Slowly stir in the stock.
• If using leftover rice, break it up and stir it in.
• Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add the greens, heat through, and serve.
• If using rice freshly made for this dish, omit adding the rice to the gumbo.
• Put some in each bowl and serve the gumbo over it.
• (Just simmer the gumbo 10 minutes after the roux and stock have been mixed, then add the greens.).

GUMBO Z'HERBES

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add both kinds of sausage; cook until the sausage is cooked through and the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat to a plate.
• Add the remaining 5 tablespoons oil to the pot. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add the onion, poblano, and celery and cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the stock and stir to combine.
• Plop the ham hock in and bring to a boil over high heat. Return the chorizo and andouille to the pot. Add the collard greens, kale, spinach, cabbage, green onions, and thyme. (You may need to let the greens cook a bit between additions so they will all fit in the pot. Don't be tempted to add additional liquid too soon: It's easy to add but hard to remove, and you want the gumbo to be dense and like stew, not soup.) Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until the greens are tender, about 45 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Add hot sauce to taste. Serve ladled over cooked white rice with hot sauce on the side.

GUMBO Z'HERBES

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add ham hocks and onion; cook until onion has softened, about 10 minutes.
• Add greens; cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, 7 to 9 minutes. Add broth, 6 cups water, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme; season with salt and cayenne.
• Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook the gumbo 2 1/2 hours, or until ham hocks are tender and greens are very tender.
• Remove ham hocks from pot; shred meat, discarding skin and bones. Return meat to gumbo. Remove and discard bay leaf. Season with salt, and serve over rice.