Friday, October 15

Gumbostrone

Have we mentioned the lovely produce box we get every other week from Dan's Fresh Produce? We found about about their box program a couple years ago and have been getting one ever since. We're now spoiled by having a bunch of fresh vegetables and fruit routinely show up on our very doorstep (it's only $3 more for home-delivery!).

We wind up cooking with ingredients we'd be unlikely to have on hand otherwise and have been introduced to some entirely new specimens. However, no matter how diligent we try to be, we also wind up stockpiling veggies. As a result, one or the other of us periodically has to find a way to use up a random assortment of veg. Therein was my inspiration for combing through soup recipes and combining several to create what I'm currently calling Gumbostrone, for lack of a better name.

It borrows from a couple Minestrone recipes, several Gumbo recipes, and has a dash of Green Chile Stew for good measure. Happily, it used up a good portion of our vegetable crisper that day.

Gumbostrone:

-2 tablespoons olive oil
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 cup chopped onion
-1 cup chopped celery
-1 cup chopped bell pepper
-1.5 teaspoons chili powder
-3 cups canned tomatoes (with their juice)
-2 cups chicken broth
-1/2 cup water
-1 cup dark beer (I used a porter)
-3 bay leaves
-1. 5 teaspoons dried oregano
-1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, though I may have used a bit more
-1 teaspoon dried basil
-1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
-3 tablespoons white rice
-1 andouille sausage
-1.5 cups zucchini
-1 cup corn
-1/3 cup New Mexican green chile
-1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
-salt and pepper to taste

I followed a basic (albeit vegetarian) Gumbo recipe, while consulting several more traditional meat-based Gumbo recipes online. Since we did not have okra on had but did have zukes that needed using up, my attention wandered over to the nearby Minestrone recipe; this upped the amount of tomatoes and rice I used and brought parsley into the mix. We also had a stray bit of green chile on hand, so I tossed that and some corn into the soup-pot on a whim.

In a saucepan, heat the oil and add onions, celery, and bell peppers. Cook, stirring regularly, until softened. Add garlic, chili powder, and sausage; stir until chili powder is absorbed. Add tomatoes and cook (stirring) for about 3 minutes. Add broth, water, beer, bay leaves, oregano, Tabasco, basil, and thyme; bring to a boil. Add rice. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes. Add zucchini, green chile, and salt. Reduce heat and simmer another 10 minutes. Add corn and simmer another 10 minutes or longer, until veggies are done to your liking. Discard bay leaves. Add parsley.

I liked how this turned out, but I already want to play with it more. I'd up just about all the spices, and I do want to toss in some okra next time. More green chile would do nicely. I'd also like to start with a more traditional roux, although I liked how easily this recipe started off. More rice would be good, too. It made a tasty dinner and sets a good base for further experimentation.

2 comments:

  1. Will you be posting the recipe for your yummy green chile stew in the upcoming blogs????

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, I will. I suspect there will be much chile stew eating now that winter's here. These 50° temps are brutal.

    ReplyDelete