Gumbo Z'Herbes

Ingredients

Stock

• 5 C chopped mustard greens
• 5 C chopped collard greens
• 5 C chopped turnip greens
• 3 C chopped beet tops
• 2 C chopped cabbage
• 2 C chopped romaine lettuce
• 2 C chopped watercress
• 1½ C coarsely chopped spinach
• 1 C chopped carrot tops
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped

Meats

• ½ lb smoked sausage, diced
• ½ lb smoked ham, diced
• ½ lb uncooked beef brisket, diced
• ½ lb dry Spanish chorizo or andouille sausage, diced

Roux/Gumbo

• 2 tbs vegetable oil
• ¼ C all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp table salt
• ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves
• ½ tsp ground red pepper
• ½ tsp filé powder

Service

• Hot cooked rice

Directions

Stock

1. Boil Greens: In a 15-qt stockpot, combine the first 11 ingredients and add enough water to cover. Cover and boil ~20 minutes.
2. Finish Cooking: Uncover and continue boiling 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Drain & Prep: Drain greens, reserving the cooking liquid, and coarsely chop before using or serving.

Meats

1. Boil Sausage: In a pot, combine smoked sausage and the next 2 ingredients with 2 cups reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a boil and cook 15 minutes, stirring once.
2. Cook Chorizo: In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, cook chorizo until browned, ~10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Drain & Reserve: Remove chorizo with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack. Reserve 3 tbs drippings in the skillet for later use.

Roux/Gumbo

1. Make Roux: Stir flour into the reserved chorizo drippings and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the flour reaches a medium-brown roux.
2. Thicken Base: Add the flour mixture to the stockpot with the smoked sausage and stir well to incorporate.
3. Add Greens: Stir in the chopped greens and 5 additional cups reserved stock. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Season & Simmer: Stir in salt, thyme, red pepper, and chorizo. Simmer 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Finish: Stir in filé powder and mix vigorously to incorporate.
6. Serve: Serve hot over cooked rice.

Chef's Notes

• This recipe is from the immortal Leah Chase of Dooky Chase in New Orleans - all three are New Orleans legends
• The recipe calls for 20 cups of mixed greens. One cup of greens, on average, is 1.42 ounces, so 20 cups would be 28.5 ounces, or 1.8 lbs of raw greens (in metric, 40.4 g/Cup * 20 cups = 808 g, or 1.8 lbs)

Gumbo Z'Herbes Raw Greens Volume Conversion Table

Greens (1 Cup)	Weight (oz)	Weight (g)
Turnip	1.94	55
Mustard	1.98	56
Collard	1.27	36
Kale	0.73	21
Beet Greens	1.34	38
Spinach	0.88	25
Arugula	0.71	20
Swiss Chard	1.27	36
Carrot Tops	0.70	20
Parsley	2.12	60
Cabbage	3.14	89
Romaine	1.23	35
Watercress	1.20	34
Average	1.42	40

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