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| Stephanie playin' in the kitchen with Aunt Debbie |
Remember my niece Stephanie? She got a job with the colonial museums in Huntsville, Alabama since my visit in April. She recently demonstrated how to make vegetable gumbo in an open kettle at a civil war reenactment. She sent me some pictures and the recipe. She, like her aunt, made her own changes and used vegetables out of her garden. I was so excited about her adventures, I wanted to share them and the recipe with you. She used zucchini from her garden instead of okra for the gumbo. I wonder how that went over in the South. When I was in Alabama I noticed that okra and dandelion greens were as plentiful in the produce store as lettuce and apples are in Washington.
Hearty Vegetable Gumbo
Cook time 25 min. yields 4 servings
Cook time 25 min. yields 4 servings
Ingredients
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• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) stewed tomatoes (you can use no-salt-added stewed tomatoes)
• 2 cups tomato juice (you can use no-salt-added juice)
• 1 can (15 oz) red beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce or more if you like it spicier
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking brown rice
• 1 package (10oz) frozen chopped okra, thawed
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• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) stewed tomatoes (you can use no-salt-added stewed tomatoes)
• 2 cups tomato juice (you can use no-salt-added juice)
• 1 can (15 oz) red beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce or more if you like it spicier
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking brown rice
• 1 package (10oz) frozen chopped okra, thawed
How to make it
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• Spray a 4-quart Dutch oven with cooking spray; heat over medium heat until hot.
• Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Cook and stir 3 minutes or until crisp-tender.
• Add stewed tomatoes, tomato juice, beans, parsley, oregano, pepper sauce and bay leaves.
• Bring to a boil over high heat. Add rice. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 15 minutes or until rice is tender.
• Add okra; cook, covered, 5 minutes more or until okra is tender.
• Remove and discard bay leaves.
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• Spray a 4-quart Dutch oven with cooking spray; heat over medium heat until hot.
• Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Cook and stir 3 minutes or until crisp-tender.
• Add stewed tomatoes, tomato juice, beans, parsley, oregano, pepper sauce and bay leaves.
• Bring to a boil over high heat. Add rice. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 15 minutes or until rice is tender.
• Add okra; cook, covered, 5 minutes more or until okra is tender.
• Remove and discard bay leaves.
Stephanie's Revisions
• I added zucchini instead of okra. Carrots and some corn.
• I also popped some grape tomatoes in the oven and added it to the mix.
• For the stewed tomatoes, I added one can regular and one can Italian stewed tomatoes for extra flavor.
• I also put in mixed bell peppers, not just green.
