Volume 1, Issue 2
“Cooking Ex-Libris” is a CasaFestiva.com series exploring new recipes from my own cookbooks. Enjoy!
By Katy Budge
It’s hard not to love any book that begins with the Oscar Wilde quote, “I can resist everything but temptation.”
So begins the foreword of the eponymously named (and self-published) Gumbo Shop: Traditional and Contemporary Creole Cuisine: A New Orleans Restaurant Cookbook by Richard Stewart. I bought it at the restaurant when I was in New Orleans (cough cough) years ago for my 40th birthday. That was quite the trip; I joke that I never did lose the weight I gained that week!
In addition to describing the thoroughly delightful NOLA-y ambiance of the Gumbo Shop restaurant itself, the cookbook also offers a lot of information about the city’s history and culinary traditions. Not surprisingly, one of the first tidbits is how to make a roux, one of the key elements in New Orleans cooking.
In several places, the cookbook acknowledges the rich history of the local cuisine, including its many cultural influences. It wades fully into the Cajun versus Creole debate, sort of, with this phrase “… the lines separating these two culinary styles have become as fuzzy as the outer skin of the green spindly okra.”
And, here’s one of my favorite sidebars, which accompanies the jambalaya recipe.
Illustrating the passion with which locals embrace their food and culture, during a recent two week period there appeared four letters to the editor of the Times Picayune “proving” that the origin of Jambalaya was Spanish, then French, then West African, then Spanish again. The Spanish name for ham (a common Jambalaya ingredient) is “jamon,” and the dish has its similarities with the Spanish dish paella. The French Provencal term “jambalaya” translates as “a stew made of rice and fowl.” The West African word “jambe” means “to mix” or “a mélange.” Whatever the linguistic or culinary origin, and there is likely truth in all these explanations, Jambalaya is easy to prepare and makes a delicious one pot meal.
Well, there ya have it!
Choosing the Book and the Recipe
Selecting this book for the latest “Cooking Ex-Libris” seemed appropriate for February given the occasion of Mardi Gras. However, deciding on a recipe was more difficult. For this writing/cooking project, I wanted to try new recipes from my cookbooks, but in thumbing through this one, I realized that I’d made most of the recipes … except Gumbo Z’Herbes.
Though I could have gotten the exact greens called for in this recipe, I opted to use greens sourced primarily from a local farmers’ market. That meant beet greens from Bautista Family Farms, dandelion greens from Pepper Creek Farms, and baby Swiss Chard from Magnolia Produce, rounded out with some green cabbage I already had on hand, and homegrown green onions. I omitted the smoked mushrooms due to some personal tastes, but the dish still had very good depth of flavor, probably because I reached into my Rancho Gordo stash and used Flor de Junio red beans!
I didn’t make Gumbo Z’Herbes for 20, but I did have quite a bit leftover. In hindsight, I wouldn’t use the beet greens again for such a big amount. The red color increased as it sat in the fridge, and ended up being just a tad off putting. This gumbo effort also came out thicker than others I’ve made, maybe because I took them at their word on the roux proportions, and used the bean water to cook the greens.
All in all, I’d certainly make this recipe again. I thought I’d really miss the decadent sausage, chicken thighs, and shrimp from other gumbos, but this Gumbo Z’Herbes was perfectly satisfying!