Green Gumbo
Ingredients
1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup flour 2 cups chopped onion 1 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 cup chopped celery 4 cloves garlic 2 bay leaves 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning ( see below ) 1 ham hock ( optional ) 10 cups water 3 pounds assorted greens ( i . e . kale , collards , mustard greens , turnip greens , spinach , chard , parsley , dandelion greens , beet greens ), chopped ( about 14 cups ) Salt 1 pound smoked andouille sausage ( optional ) File powder to taste ( optional ) Cajun Spice Blend 1 teaspoon black pepper , 1 teaspoon cayenne , 1 teaspoon celery seed , 1 teaspoon dried thyme , 2 teaspoons dried oregano , 1 Tbsp garlic powder , 2 Tbsp sweet paprika
1 Make the roux : Start the gumbo by making a roux , which will add a lot of flavor and thicken the gumbo . Heat the cup of peanut oil or lard ( both are traditional roux ingredients ) over medium heat for a minute or two and then stir in the flour . Mix so there are no lumps . Cook the roux over medium-low heat until it is the color of chocolate . It is your choice how dark you let your roux go . The darker it is , the better , but once the roux gets dark it can burn easily , so you must stir constantly and keep and eye on it . 2 Heat water to a simmer : While the roux is cooking , bring the 10 cups of water to a simmer . 3 Add onions , celery , green pepper , then garlic to roux : When the roux is dark enough , mix in the chopped onions , celery and green pepper and turn the heat to medium . Let this cook , stirring occasionally , until the vegetables soften . Add the garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes . 4 Add bay leaves , spice , hot water : Add the bay leaves , the Cajun spice and slowly stir in the hot water . The roux will seize up at first , but keep stirring and it will all come together in a silky broth . 5 Add ham hock , greens , cover and simmer : Add the ham hock and all the greens . Taste for salt , but remember the ham hock will be salty , so let the broth be a little under-salted for now . If you want to add more Cajun spice , do so now . Cover the pot and simmer gently for 1 hour and 15 minutes . 6 Remove meat from ham hock bones , chop and return to pot : Check the ham hock . If the meat is falling off the bone , remove it , discard the bones , chop the meat and return it to the pot . If the hock is not ready , keep simmering the gumbo ; ham hocks don ' t always cook at the same rate . 7 Add andouille sausage : Once the hock is ready , add the andouille sausage and cook for another 15 minutes . Serve with file powder at the table .
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