Gumbo Z'Herbes for Eat Joy

 

Our current Cook the Books Club read has been Eat Joy, Stories and Comfort Food, edited by Natalie Eve Garrett, and this December/January round hosted by fellow Hawaiian co-host, Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. 

Of course, with any compilation of essays, by various authors, there are going to be some you love, some you really like, a few you don't get all that excited about, and some you might skip over, if not actually dislike.  There were enough here to make for an enjoyable read, to open up a door of understanding with uncomfortable subjects, some new information, and a bit of just good humor.  The first story one I read, No Alzheimer's in India, by Antoine Wilson,  definitely came under the category of humor, as well as new information, which, when I did some research, was actually backed up by medical science.  We all need more turmeric in our diets.

Lovely to have variety and a bit of spice in our reading as well as eating, something to nibble on in between times is a good palate cleanser.  It must be said, many of the recipes were included as illustrative, not meant to be especially wonderful in themselves.  From the Publishers: 

"This collection of intimate, illustrated essays by some of America’s most well–regarded literary writers explores how comfort food can help us cope with dark times—be it the loss of a parent, the loneliness of a move, or the pain of heartache 

Lev Grossman explains how he survived on “sweet, sour, spicy, salty, unabashedly gluey” General Tso’s tofu after his divorce. Carmen Maria Machado describes her growing pains as she learned to feed and care for herself during her twenties. Claire Messud tries to understand how her mother gave up dreams of being a lawyer to make “a dressed salad of tiny shrimp and avocado, followed by prune–stuffed pork tenderloin.” What makes each tale so moving is not only the deeply personal revelations from celebrated writers, but also the compassion and healing behind the story: the taste of hope."

"If you've ever felt a deep, emotional connection to a recipe or been comforted by food during a dark time, you'll fall in love with these stories."—Martha Stewart Living

Choosing something from this collection was a bit difficult, just because there were so many ways you might go. I did think of making a curry with lots of turmeric, with a thought to encouraging that weapon in the war against Alzheimer's.  I made a frittata, inspired by one in the story by Laura Van Den Berg, Comfort with Eggs, and put together a dish of General Tso's Tofu, which we both enjoyed, but finally decided to post, based on the last suggestion in the book, a yummy pot of Gumbo, from The Boudin Trail by Natalie Baszile.  Mine is a Gumbo Z'herbes, more greens and herbs than meat, loosely based on the recipe in Jubilee by Toni Tipton-Martin.  Reviewed here.  As she mentions in her book, this green gumbo is thickened with a low, slow simmer, not a roux.  I'll just try to remember here what all I did.

Gumbo Z'Herbes

Ingredients (for 5-6)

1 good sized bunch collard greens, or sweet potato greens, spinach, etc.
1 small bunch mustard greens, watercress, chard, turnip greens, kale, or the like, washed, stemmed and chopped

2-3 tablespoons bacon drippings or olive oil

1 cup small sausages, cut in half

1/2 cup cooked chicken, chopped roughly into a dice

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 minced chili pepper

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon minced garlic 2-3 cloves)

1 tablespoon finely chopped Puerto Rican (tropical) oregano

1 bay leaf

1 teas. thyme

1/4 teas. file powder

1 quart chicken stock

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

juice of 1/2 lemon 

Melt the bacon fat over medium heat, then add the onions and sauté until softening, add the garlic and give it another minute or so.  Next add the sausages, bell pepper, celery, chili pepper, and green onions and sauté until the vegetables are tender-crisp, about 3-5 minutes.  Stir in the thyme and oregano, then add the stock and bring to a boil.  Add the greens, chicken, file powder and bay leaf and simmer until all the greens are very tender.  About 45 minutes.  After 30 minutes taste and adjust seasoning, with a good amount of salt and pepper, lemon juice, extra fresh thyme and the parsley.  Serve with fresh bread or hot cooked rice.

Just what I did.  You can vary the basic recipe to your hearts content.  To me, this was true comfort food, just utterly delicious and so full of flavor!  Redolent with all the various greens and herbs adding their individual notes to the whole symphony.  Throw some torn basil leaves on top if you like.

This post is my contribution to our Cook the Books Club Round-Up, which will be up next week some time.  Linked also to Heather's Foodie's Read Challenge, and with Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marge, The Intrepid Reader.  Be sure to pay a visit and enjoy lots of  good food ideas and books to read.