From A Past Edition Of The New Orleans Menu Daily By Tom Fitzmorris Gumbo Z'Herbes The name is a contraction of "gumbo aux herbes." As the name implies, it's made with greens, and it's very different from any other kind of gumbo. The more different greens, the better the gumbo z'herbes. Another tradition is that you must have an odd number of greens in there for luck, and that whatever the number is will be duplicated during the year in the number of new friends you'll make. More gumbo z'herbes is served during Holy Week than all the rest of the year combined. Depending on family tradition, one cooked gumbo z'herbes on either Holy Thursday or Good Friday. This recipe comes from Leah Chase, who makes gumbo z'herbes every Holy Thursday, and sell many pots of it. She uses quite a bit of meat. Other cooks affirm that there should be no meat in gumbo z'herbes; the purists say there shouldn't even be seafood. 1 bunch mustard greens 1 bunch collard greens 1 bunch turnips with greens 1 bunch watercress 1 bunch beet tops 1 bunch carrot tops 1/2 head lettuce 1/2 head cabbage 1 bunch spinach 2 medium onions finely chopped 4 cloves garlic finely chopped 1 lb. smoked sausage 1 lb. smoked ham 1 lb. chaurice (hot sausage) 1 lb. boneless brisket 5 Tbs. flour 1 tsp. thyme leaves 1 Tbs. salt 1 tsp. cayenne 1 Tbs. file powder 1. Clean all vegetables, making sure to pick out bad leaves and rinse away all grit. Cover with water and boil for 30 minutes. Drain the vegetables but save the water. Chop all the vegetables fine. 2. Cut all meats and sausages into bite-size pieces. In a 12- quart stockpot place all meats except chaurice, plus two cups reserved vegetable stock. Bring to a light boil for 15 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, cook chaurice in a skillet until all the fat has been cooked out. Stir in flour and cook over medium heat for five minutes, stirring constantly, to make a light brown roux. 4. Stir roux into the stockpot with the meats. Add vegetables and two quarts of the reserved vegetable stock. Simmer for 20 minutes. 5. Add chaurice, thyme, salt, and cayenne pepper; stir well. Simmer for 40 minutes more. Stir in file powder, then remove from heat. Serve over steamed rice in bowls. This makes enough for about 20 entrees.   Click here for an index of recipes from past editions. © 2007 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com