Every true Cajun home has at least a little garden. In the summer it yields bounteous harvests of Creole tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and cucumbers. But in the spring and fall glorious greens and root vegetables abound beyond imagination.
Gumbo des Herbes (gumbo zähb) is a perfect dish for utilizing all those wonderful greens! Never heard of using radish greens in a meal? Gumbo des Herbs uses beet greens, radish tops, spinach and almost every other healthy leafy green vegetable you can think of.
Recipe for Gumbo des Herbes
Ingredients:
- 1 small cabbage, cored and cut into small wedges
- 1 small bunch spinach
- Greens of 2 – 3 beets
- Greens of 2 – 3 turnips
- 1 small bunch mustard greens
- 1 bunch radish greens
- 1½ pound slab bacon (or pickled pork), cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup green onions, chopped
- ½ cup green bell pepper, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Gumbo Filé, (dried powdered Sassafras Leaves)
- Freshly cooked long grain white rice
Instructions:
- Thoroughly clean and wash all the greens in cool water.
- Place greens in a large stock pot with 2 cups of water, cover.
- Bring the water up to a simmer and allow the greens to steam until wilted, but not cooked through.
- Reserve the steaming liquid, but drain off the greens and chop them very finely—this is the most important part (chop them as in a chiffonade). If a blender or food processor is available, it can be used instead of chopping. Set aside.
- In a large heavy skillet brown the pork in its own fat until it has rendered a few tablespoons of fat. Do not continue to cook the pork until it is crispy.
- Add the flour to the skillet, stirring continuously, until it has taken on some color and is smooth and bubbly.
- Stir in all of the chopped greens, green onions, bell pepper and garlic in the skillet; cooking and stirring until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste at this time.
- Place the entire contents of the skillet back into the stock pot, adding the reserved liquid plus enough water to measure 1½ quarts of liquid.
- Bring the stock pot up to a simmer and allow it to continue to cook in this manner until a thick purée has been achieved. Patience in this is a virtue.
- Remove gumbo from heat and stir in the Filé.
- Taste and adjust seasonings once more, if needed.
- Serve hot, in a soup bowl over freshly cooked long grain white rice.
Serving Suggestions
- It is traditional to have accompaniments such as le cornichon (pickled vegetables with hot chilies), Tabasco Sauce and additional Filé available for diners.
- Crusty French bread and fresh potato salad are also usually served with this meal.
This herb gumbo recipe which has been handed down for many generations in Cajun Louisiana creates a warm, hearty, healthy family meal. And imagine – not even the radish tops go to waste!
Maria Blanco - Writer/Editor, Certified Family Herbalist, Naturopath, Holistic Nutritional Consultant
Join the Conversation