Recipe: North Louisiana Collard Gumbo, Story of Gumbo

Gumbo, as defined in Merriam-Webster dictionaries, is a soup thickened with okra pods or filé and containing meat or seafood and usually vegetables. According to The Joy of Cooking, the word gumbo is derived from quingombo, an African Congo word for okra. Louisiana gumbo is a soup thickened either with okra or file, which is a powder made from ground sassafras root.

Roux, the basis of gumbo, is made by browning flour and oil until it is very dark.
When you make gumbo, you are allowed to substitute ingredients liberally. Gumbo is something delicious that Louisiana people cook with whatever meats they have available. The best gumbo has more than one type of meat.

People in the Mississippi and Louisiana hill country often add vegetables that the south Louisianans with French heritage find shocking. It’s all good!

North Louisiana Collard Gumbo, a quick and easy version of a Louisiana staple, is a blending of Southern flavors. (I started to call it a marriage: but since it has a hint of New Orleans, a strong component of African tradition, a kick of Tex-Mex, the tenderness of Georgia, and the practicality of north Louisiana, I realized it would be polygamy.)

Don’t judge the difficulty of a recipe by the length of the ingredient list. Frequently all that is required is tossing ingredients into a pot and allowing the ingredients to simmer until they smell irresistible. Judge the work and skill required by the directions, not the number of items required.

Paul, the Spicemouth, my good friend and official taster, likes curry in his gumbo. (?!!!) When I cook for him, we compromise. I place a box of madras curry powder by his plate. Also he likes huge amounts of crushed red pepper. He keeps his “crushed red” handy. “Once it’s in my bowl,” he insists, “It’s my business.”

For three more well-researched and tried gumbo recipes prepared by my friends and family, visit http://www.fwlcookbook.com/. Click on GUMBO.

North Louisiana Collard Gumbo
½ cup finely chopped bacon (preferably ends and pieces—select lean pieces)
⅓ cup minced garlic
1 package (12 ounces) frozen seasoning blend (onions, celery, green and red peppers, parsley flakes)
1 pound finely chopped fresh collards (tender Georgia collards if you can find them)
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 package (4.5 ounces Zatarain’s New Orleans Style® Gumbo Base
8 cups water
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon Splenda®
1 tablespoon liquid from pickled jalapenos
shake of crushed red pepper (according to your taste—you can always add more, but you can’t take it out)
salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)
1 package (14 ounces) cocktail smokies (sliced)
1 cup sliced okra

Brown the chopped bacon. Add the garlic, seasoning blend, and collards. Stir and sauté about 5 minutes. Add everything else except the smokies (which toughen when overcooked) and the okra (which gets mushy when overcooked). Simmer until it smells good, the collards are tender, and you’ve had time to cook some rice and set the table.
Serve with gumbo filé and rice.