Ingredients
Scale
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 yellow onions, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, cored and chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (less if you don’t want a little spice)
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 10–12 cups of chicken or vegetable broth, should be room temperature or warm (Use water if you will be using a ham hock)
- 1 Ham hock (optional)
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 bunch of mustard greens, stemmed and chopped
- 1 bunch of collard greens, stemmed and chopped
- 1 bunch of turnip greens, stemmed and chopped
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, stemmed and chopped
- 1 bunch Lacinato kale, stemmed and chopped
- 1 head of green cabbage, cored and chopped
- 2 cups beet greens, chopped
- 1 bunch of dandelion greens
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/2 pound andouille sausage (optional)
- 1/2 pound smoked sausage (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon filé powder (add at the end, optional)
- Hot cooked rice, to serve
Garnish: chopped fresh parsley, hot sauce
Instructions
- Make a roux. In a large Dutch oven or 15-quart stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Stir/whisk in flour; cook, continuously stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. The roux will smell nutty and be the color of peanut butter.
- Onions, bell pepper, and celery, and cook until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add in garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add all of your seasonings, except the filé. Gradually stir in your broth or water to the roux. Be sure to slowly stir in your liquid, in small amounts at a time, constantly stirring to ensure it is smooth, has no lumps, and doesn’t break.
- Add in all of your greens, except for the beet greens, dandelions, and parsley. Add a little salt and pepper. Be gentle with the salt depending on the amount of sodium in your broth or if you’re using meat. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to medium to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes.
- Add your beet and dandelion greens and parsley to your pot and cook for another 30-35.
- At this point, you can leave your greens as is or purée them to a smooth consistency. Place all or half of your greens, with a little liquid, in the work bowl of a food processor or upright blender. Pulse until puréed. Purée in batches, if needed.
- Stir in filé before serving. Serve over rice. Garnish with parsley and hot sauce.
Notes
- If using a ham hock, add the ham hock to your pot at step 3.
- While greens are cooking, start browning sausages in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until browned. Remove and set to the side.
- After 4 minutes check the ham hock. If the meat is falling off the bone, remove meat and discard the bones. Chop the meat and return to pot when you add in the remaining beet, dandelion, and parsley. If the ham hock is not ready, keep simmering with the gumbo and remove meat later.
- Add sausages to your greens during the last 10 minutes of cooking.