Fast Veggie Gumbo
1 16-ounce package frozen gumbo vegetables (or mix together a comparable quantity of frozen okra, bell peppers, celery, and onions)
12 ounces fat-free tomato sauce (not spaghetti sauce, as the seasoning would be wrong)
1/4 teaspoon salt (if you use salt, as we do)
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon ground dried ancho chiles (substitute a good chile powder)
2 hefty squirts veggie worcestorshire sauce
fresh ground black pepper
1 large clove garlic, pressed or minced (we keep a bag of peeled garlic cloves in the freezer, extremely convenient--we peeled them ourselves, though--amazingly, a frozen clove presses quite nicely)
1 teaspoon oregano
We made this up, and have gradually been perfecting it.
Mix together all ingredients and microwave or simmer on the stovetop until the okra is tender: between 5 and 15 minutes. Serve over rice to soak up the sauce.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
nononono hehe
'Gumbo' actually refers to the okra, which used to be called 'kingcombo' or kingumbo'. when okra was unavailable arrowroot powder, called 'file`' would be used instead of the okra for the thick mucilagenous quality that makes a gumbo
the roux adds mainly colour, flavour, and a lil body as well as a base for the trinity (finely diced onions peppers and celery)
to make a vegan roux cook the trinity in a couple tablespoon of veggie oil til the onions clear up and soften, then add a handful of flour, stir it around to absorb the oil then CONSTANTLY stir over medium flame til the flour roasts a nice dark red colour
THEN add your stock and veggies and simmer over LOW flame for awhile, stirring quite often to avoid scorching on the bottom
the roux adds body but it is the gumbo that makes it a gumbo
of course, this is only one cooks opinion, but it is the opinion of a cook who learned in the south while he was growing up
the recipe above looks like it would be tasty though,
however much we want to argue over what a gumbo is and isnt! :P
Is it really that big of a deal? I am admittedly in the dark here as I am not southern, but it doesn't seem that important to me.
No worries. Your version is vegan. I just think that veganlicious's version could be a bit more flavorful and nutritious. It actually sounds like what she's making is a white sauce.