Gumbo Z'herbes
TIME/SERVINGS
Total: 1 hr 40 mins
Active: 45 mins
Makes: 8 to 10 servings
By Regan Burns
Gumbo z’herbes, a smothered greens dish, is traditionally served on Good Friday during Lent. It’s a great way to use up vegetable greens such as beet or carrot tops, though feel free to experiment with different combinations—original versions contained seven different cooking greens for good luck. The roux base adds so much depth, you won’t miss the meat. In fact, this gumbo was the most popular among our kitchen staff, beating out shrimp and tasso and chicken and andouille versions.
This recipe was featured as part of our Jazz Standard: Gumbo story.
For the greens:
- 5 bunches greens, such as collard greens, chicory, dandelion greens, mustard greens, spinach, parsley, beet tops, carrot tops, or turnip tops (enough to equal about 3 pounds)
- 3 cups water
For the gumbo base:
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 medium yellow onion, medium dice
- 1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts thinly sliced, green tops reserved for garnish
- 1 large green bell pepper, medium dice
- 4 stalks celery, medium dice
- 1 large garlic clove, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 2 cups water or low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (either purchased or homemade)
- 2 whole cloves
- 3 allspice berries
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon minced marjoram leaves
- Green Tabasco
- Rinse and trim greens, removing any dried-out parts or tough stems that don’t break easily. If you are using collards, remove the tough inner rib that runs up the center of each leaf.
- Fill the sink with cold water and submerge all greens. Leave undisturbed for about 5 minutes, then lift from the water and place in a colander. (Don’t drain the sink with the greens still in it: Soaking the greens allows all the sand and grit to settle to the bottom of the sink—if you drain it, your greens are left sitting in the silty stuff.) If necessary, repeat this process.
- Chop or tear greens into large pieces and place in a large saucepan or pot with a tightfitting lid. Add water to greens and season generously with salt; place over medium-high heat. When the water in the pot begins to simmer, tightly cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook greens, occasionally turning with a pair of tongs, until they are very soft and wilted, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Strain greens, being sure to reserve the cooking liquid. (You should have about 3 1/2 cups.) Allow greens to cool slightly, then chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Take about 1/2 of the chopped greens and purée them in a food processor or blender (if greens will not blend, add a little of the reserved cooking liquid to help them along).
For the gumbo base:
- In a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. When it is hot, slowly sprinkle in flour, stirring constantly with a wire whisk to prevent any lumps from forming. Reduce heat to medium low and cook roux, stirring constantly (and taking care to scrape out the corners of the pan), until it is a nutty brown color (the color of peanut butter) and emits a toasted aroma, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Use a wooden spoon to stir onion, scallions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic into the pot. Season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened and garlic is no longer raw-smelling, about 5 minutes.
- Add reserved cooking liquid along with vegetable broth or water, stirring well to incorporate. Increase heat to medium high and bring mixture to a simmer. Stir in salt, Cajun seasoning, cloves, allspice, and bay leaves and simmer, stirring often, until gumbo base is soupy and thick and vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in chopped and puréed greens and marjoram; cover the pot and simmer 10 minutes. Add Tabasco to taste and serve over cooked white rice, garnished with thinly sliced scallion tops.
Beverage pairing: Broadbent Vinho Verde, Portugal. Green, green, green. It’s in the dish, so it may as well be in the wine too. “Green wine” from Portugal has bright acidity and leafy, herbal flavors that will not clash with the intense spicy bitterness of the dish.
COMMENTS | ADD YOUR OWN
Simply fabulous looking! I'm a huge Gumbo conisuer and make it whenever my wife lets me. This, simply, looks FABULOUS! I can only imagine how great it tastes!
Matt
http://suburbangourmet.blogspot.com/
Gumbo z'herbes (aka gumbo vert) is delicious, but that photo is terrible! That's not gumbo...that's some sort of brown gravy over rice. And you shouldn't cook the greens separately and make a gumbo "base"....make a roux, put the onions/celery/bell pepper in, then add liquid and cleaned greens (cut or torn into ribbons). Cook until the greens are tender and liquid reduces slightly (but it's supposed to be SOUP not gravy).
this sounds delicious--I will make this very soon. Thanks
In many African dialects the word for Okra sounds similar to Gumbo. In Tshiluna it is called ki-ngumbo. The Portuguese though that quillobo, another word for Okra, sounded like quingombo. This is the reason that Okra is often referred to as Gumbo. In the United States it is far more common. to refer to dishes which contain Okra as Gumbo's. In fact, technically you shouldn't call a dish which doesn't contain Okra a gumbo.
I agree with Hungry Celeste. The dish pictured would be better described as etouffee z'herbes, not gumbo. It may be quite delicious - I haven't tried the recipe.
I was first introduced to Gumbo z'herbes by Collin and Collin's cookbook maybe 30 years ago: "...breaks all the rules of gumbo. It contains neither okra nor file. It is the only gumbo in which the roux is not prepared first.....a Lenten dish, served on Good Friday. Legend had it that you would make as many friends as as the number of different greens you put in the pot."
Brilliant! It looks fantastic & I'm cooking this for dinner Wednesday and serving it with Field Roast Brand vegetarian.sausages, they have Chorizo. So now I have a fantastic dinner. I've been dying to get a good veg. gumbo recipe. I love the local greeens: turnip, mustard, dandelion...
Thank you!
Hungry Celeste and and brucesw are correct in their description of Gumbo z'herbres. I also agree that your picture looks like an etouffee.
Gumbo z'herbes
Serves: 6
Gumbo z'herbes is the least common of the three traditional gumbos we eat in New Orleans, and it's nothing the other two. For one thing, it doesn't usually contain a roux. In its most rigorously-constituted form, there should be no meat or seafood in gumbo z'herbes. This is a penitential gumbo for Lenten eating. However I add bacon and a ham hock for seasoning.
The name is a contraction of gumbo aux herbes--gumbo with greens. The more different greens it contains, the better the gumbo z'herbes. The tradition says that you must have an odd number of greens in there or risk bad luck. Whatever number of different greens you use will be the number of new friends you'll make before next Easter.
More gumbo z'herbes is served during Holy Week than all the rest of the year combined. It was a family tradition that my Mère (grand-mother), Louise Egan (1883-1955) cooked gumbo z'herbes on either Holy Thursday or Good Friday
Ingredients:
• 4 strips bacon cut into one inch pieces
• 2 medium onions finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 bunch mustard greens
• 1 bunch collard greens
• 1 bunch turnip greens
• 1 bunch spinach
• 1 bunch green onions
• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley
• 1 bunch watercress
• 1 bunch beet tops
• 1 bunch carrot tops
• 1 bunch radish tops
• 1 bunch dandelion greens
• ½ head green leaf lettuce (not iceberg)
• ½ head cabbage
• 2 small turnips, peeled and cubed
• 2 cups dry white wine
• - water to cover
• 1 ham hock
• 2 teaspoons Frank’s Famous Creole Seasoning
Method:
1. Wash the greens and drain well.
2. Cut out the stems center ribs from the greens.
3. Tear the greens into small pieces.
4. In a black cast iron pot, sauté the bacon over medium heat until it is translucent and the bottom of the pot is coated with the rendered bacon fat.
5. Sauté the onions and garlic until soft.
6. Add the greens and the cubed turnip.
7. Add the water and wine to cover.
8. Add the ham hock and seasonings and bring pot to a boil over medium heat.
9. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook until the greens are tender, about 2 hours.
10. Serve greens hot with their cooking liquid or "pot likker”
Gombo Zhebes "Gumbo of Herbs" is a delicious way to consume a plentiful portion of leafy vegetables. Creole version of French 'sept herbs' or 'seven greens' is traditionally cooked on Holy Thursday for good luck. But I feel like I'm in luck anytime a steaming hot bowl of this southern green combo hits my palate, especially with a nice sprinkling of Louisiana hot sauce or vinegar to taste. Soo good!