491967 Thu Feb 21 12:51:53 -0800 2008 10 31 Home Cooking 0 3421479 Does anyone fix Gumbo Z'herbes during Holy Week? I am the only one in my family who enjoys this traditional Roman Catholic dish. My Mère (grand-mother), Louise Egan (1883 – 1955) cooked gumbo z'herbes on either Holy Thursday or Good Friday. in New Orleans. There should be no meat or seafood in gumbo z'herbes. There are however, some non-traditionalists that use bacon and pork as seasoning. Does your family have a special pre Easter meal? Gumbo Z'herbes Serves: 20 Ingredients: • 1 vegetable oil to just cover bottom of pot (2-3 Tablespoons) • 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 • 3 teaspoons Creole Seasoning Note: The name is a contraction of "gumbo aux herbes." As the name implies, it's made with greens, and it's very different from any other kind of gumbo. The more different greens, the better the gumbo z'herbes. Another tradition is that you must have an odd number of greens in there for luck, and that whatever the number is will be duplicated during the year in the number of new friends you'll make. 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, add enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pot and heat the oil until it is hot.. 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 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”. Thu Feb 21 12:51:54 -0800 2008 147713 speyerer 1 3421615 I know gumbo z'herbes as a staple throughout Lent, not just for Holy Week, but it's somewhat different in that it contains beans, which I never much liked. I'll have to try your recipe soon! Thu Feb 21 13:20:13 -0800 2008 3421479 68363 JungMann 2 3421661 "a staple throughout Lent," God bless you. We would have the gumbo z'herbes mixed with the red beans left over from Monday. But not on Friday because of the meat in the beans. Thu Feb 21 13:28:03 -0800 2008 3421615 147713 speyerer 3 3421684 That's what I remember! And that's why I didn't like gumbo z'herbes. I didn't think the two things matched. I might have to make this for dinner tomorrow! Thu Feb 21 13:33:15 -0800 2008 3421661 68363 JungMann 1 3421681 Great Thanks!! I tried Chow's recipe and LOVED IT. I notice that your recipe doesn't call for flour. I thought a gumbo started with a roux? I made the chow gumbo by the way with whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose and it was great! have been subbing WWPF for APF to bake--but hadn't tried for sauces until this recipe. Thu Feb 21 13:32:19 -0800 2008 3421479 74506 abud 1 3424166 I've been wondering about the roux question as well, i.e. what makes it a "gumbo" without it? And do you serve this over rice, as with a "regular" gumbo? Fri Feb 22 09:48:42 -0800 2008 3421479 111178 sea97horse 2 3424470 I made a big batch and ate all week with: brown rice whole wheat couscous even with a whole grain pita. All delicious. Fri Feb 22 10:56:13 -0800 2008 3424166 74506 abud 1 3427093 abud and sea97horse, I appreciate your logical questions but my Mère always made "gumbo aux herbes" sans roux and sans le riz. She called it "gumbo" and nobody questioned Mère, at least none of her seven children or the thirteen grandchildren, she was a little short on grandchildren because two of her sons were priests. Enjoy the recipe and Happy Easter! Sat Feb 23 08:55:16 -0800 2008 3421479 147713 speyerer 2 3427534 When my husband and I made the decision to move to New Orleans I decided to embrace local culture by making him a big (and I mean *big* ) pot of gumbo z'herbes on Good Friday. He was so less than impressed, but I really liked it. Since then I've been exposed to much better gumbo than my novice attempt and I'm looking forward to "knowing better and doing better" this Good Friday. If I don't have to make a roux I'm all for it! Sat Feb 23 11:48:17 -0800 2008 3427093 137471 grlwprls 2 3428239 Thanks for the info, speyerer -- far be it from me to argue with your Mere. You must have been a lucky kid! Sat Feb 23 16:43:51 -0800 2008 3427093 111178 sea97horse 1 3428445 I still cook this old family favorite, too, speyerer. I guess we all bent the rules of Lent in our own good South Louisiana Catholic ways, but your recipe calls for wine, a serious no-no for most of us during Lent. That's fine by me. However, contrary to what some seem to believe, traditional Gumbo z'Herbes recipes were made with meat broth and my family was no exception. The inevitable Creole rationalization: we don't "eat" meat in Lent but that doesn't mean that we can't have the broth that it was cooked in, does it, cher? The veal or ham used to make the stock for the gumbo was simply saved for another meal when meat was allowed. The recipes in old Creole cookbooks always use meat stock and so did those of my grandmothers. Most recipes now just use the meat. I do agree with you that there is no roux in this gumbo. Nice clear stock, slightly greenish from the vegetables. And no rice. Ever. Where does CHOW get these strange ideas for their recipes? Sat Feb 23 18:23:47 -0800 2008 3421479 32444 MakingSense