2000s Recipes + Menus
Gumbo Z’Herbes
Serves8 to 10 (main course)
- Active time:40 min
- Start to finish:2 hr
February 2004
If you can’t find one type of the greens for this recipe, you can either increase the other two kinds proportionally or substitute kale and/or chard.
- 8 cabbage leaves (from 1 large head)
- 1 lb mustard greens
- 3/4 lb turnip greens
- 1/2 lb beet greens (from 1 bunch beets; including stems)
- 2 smoked ham hocks (1 lb each)
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 to 2 small fresh hot red chiles (2 to 3 inches long), minced, including seeds
- 10 oz baby spinach
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar plus additional for serving
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
-
Accompaniments:
hot sauce such as Tabasco; corn bread or rice
-
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.
Cooks’ note: Gumbo (without spinach, parsley, vinegar, and salt) can be made 2 days ahead. Cool, uncovered, then chill, covered. Reheat before adding remaining ingredients.
- Keywords
- southern u.s.,
- pork,
- herbs,
- soup
Pinterest
