Gumbo Z'Herbes.

(This will bring the gumbo section to an end. Unless someone requests the "Duck & Guinea hen Gumbo" or the "Wild Goose Gumbo" that I saw in "Talk About Good!")

I ran across this style of gumbo in the Gumbo Shop Restaurant cookbook. I saw this version & history online. Emeril also has a version. I now am certain of the mysterious origins of the "Gumbo Zabb" that a friend's father made. I can easily see how the cajun pronunciation was corrupted from "Z''Herbes" to "Zabb."

"Local folklore has it that you must make Gumbo Z'Herbes with an odd number of greens, and what ever the number of greens in the gumbo eaten on Good Friday, that is the number of new friends that you will make during the following year. Another version holds that a Holy Thursday supper of Gumbo Z'Herbes containing seven greens, followed by chance meetings of seven people on Good Friday, blesses the fortunate diner with good luck all year."

Gumbo Z'Herbes from the Gumbo Shop Restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

1 cup olive oil
2 cups flour
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped bell peppers
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup minced shallots
1/4 cup minced garlic
6 bay leaves
1.5 TSP thyme
1.5 TSP black pepper
2 TSP white pepper
3/4 TSP cayenne pepper
2 TBSP salt
1 pound mushrooms, smoked
1 gallon water
1 bunch collard greens
1 small head cabbage
1 bunch turnip greens, chopped
1 bunch mustard greens, chopped
1 bunch green onions
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 pound red beans, cooked

(To cook the red beans, rinse & sort 1 pound of red beans, cover with water, and soak overnight. Simmer over low heat for 1-2 hours, until just tender. Drain, reserving the water to use as part of the water for cooking the greens. In a pinch, you can use canned beans (two 15 oz. cans), drained and rinsed well.

To smoke mushrooms, wash one pound of medium sized mushrooms, trim the bottoms of the stems, and place on a pan in a smoker for about 45 minutes.)

In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over a medium high heat. Add the flour and stir until a peanut butter colored roux is attained. Immediately add the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Saute until veggies are tender and start to stick and brown a little. Add the shallots, garlic, herbs, salt, & peppers. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, bring the water (and bean water) to a boil. Chop the collards & cabbage into one-inch squares and boil until just tender. Add the turnip greens, mustard greens, and green onions and return to a boil. (A 10 ounce package of frozen greens may be substituted for any of the fresh greens.)

Coarsely chop the smoked mushrooms. Add it to the roux mixture and cook for 2 minutes. Carefully stir the roux-veggie-mushroom mixture into the simmering greens, and return to a boil. Add the parsley, cooked red beans, and soy sauce to taste. Bring to a boil one more time, then turn off the heat. Serve over rice.

This dish is best if refrigerated overnight, and then reheated. This recipe yields about two gallons of gumbo. It also freezes well.