Summer Gumbo

Another family favorite, gumbo starts showing up in my kitchen when the summer garden explodes and well into the cooler fall and winter months. We prefer our gumbo to be thick, served with a scoop of jasmine rice, making a wonderful summer dinner. If you have a few extra greens like kale, chop them and toss them in for the last 15 -20 minutes of cooking. Clara couldn’t find filet(sassafras) her first year of college in Dublin, she went back after Christmas break with a couple of bottles of the seasoning - gumbo just isn’t gumbo without the filet.

Many recipes call for making a roux from flour as the base for gumbo. I prefer to use enough okra, sauteed long enough to allow its natural thickening nature to come forward. I also gradually add in the tomato juice until I get to the consistency I like.

Servings: 8-10 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp olive oil

• 3 cups okra fresh is best, frozen and thawed works well too

• 1 1/4 cups yellow onion diced

• 1 cup carrots diced

• 1 1/2 cups celery diced

• 2 Tbsp minced garlic

• 3 1/2 cups whole peeled tomatoes, I like these left a bit chunky

• 1-2 tsp Filet spice. That's sassafras and it's lively and hot so add to taste. It’s also impossible to find in Ireland.

• 1 bay leaf

• 3/4 tsp thyme

• 1/2 tsp marjoram

• 1/2 tsp basil

• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/4 tsp Tabasco

• 1 cup water, chicken or veg stock

• 1-2 cups spicy tomato and vegetable juice. RW Knudsen Vegetable Juice is a great option

• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

• 1 lbs Andouille sausage

• kale or other hardy green chopped

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat the oil. Add in okra, onion, carrot and celery over a low heat until vegetables wilt.

2. Add the garlic and stir until it turns white, but do not let brown and let cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add in tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, marjoram, filet spice, basil, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, Tabasco, the stock, the tomato juice, parsley and the sausage.

4. Simmer until flavors blend, about 35-40 minutes. Adjust your seasonings.

5. Serve with a heaping cup of cooked rice.

Recipe Notes

Energetics:

Oh, she spicy! This can be a hot recipe. Which can be too much for those with delicate digestive systems like IBS, ulcers and other Yin deficiency and Heat patterns. Control your spice and add a little more if you need to at the end.

Warming, and pungent this dish can help you adapt to the heat of summer by opening the pores and allowing you to sweat.

Primary Season: Summer and Late Summer