As you know, my family LOVES food with flavor and my guys LOVE LOVE LOVE spicy food. This being said, my guys are partial to Cajun food. In fact, I don’t think there’s a Cajun food that they don’t like…well, except my youngest. He prefers his vegetables to be highly processed……processed in the form of cow, pig, etc. Yes, as much as I adore veggies, he steers clear of them
Sorry, I’m digressing. Back on topic. With this amazing love affair with Cajun food, my boys all time favorite restaurant in town is J Gumbo’s. To bring a bit of this flavor home, I previously shared with you my recipe for J Gumbo’s Inspired Drunken Chicken. Well, during Lent, J Gumbo’s has a meat-free treat, Spinach & Mushroom Etouffe, that my husband and I adore. It’s a “limited time only” offering so that meant I needed to head to the kitchen and create my own version of….
J Gumbo’s Inspired
Spinach & Mushroom Etouffe
Trust me, if you like flavorful,spicy foods and are looking for a vegetarian option, you’ll LOVE this. My recipe makes a HUGE batch so you can enjoy some tonight and freeze some for dinner later. Are you ready for the recipe? Here you go!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup coconut or olive oil
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 large onions chopped
- 2 poblano peppers diced (or two green bell peppers)
- 3 ribs celery diced
- 6-8 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 4 oz. white mushrooms cleaned and chopped
- 1 pound fresh kale, thick stems removed and torn into pieces
- 2 pounds fresh spinach, cut/torn into bite sized pieces (remove all thick stems)
- 8 – 10 cups water
- 6 Tbsp chicken soup base
- 6 bay leaves
- 1Tbsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1-2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1-2 tsp ground white pepper
- 1-2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp file powder, optional
- In a large stock pot, place the kale, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook until the kale is soft (approx 20 minutes). Turn off the heat, remove the kale and place in a blender. Add 1 cup of cooking liquid to the kale and process until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large, heavy bottomed pot, make a roux by cooking the oil and flour together. Cook until your roux is the color of peanut butter
- Add the onions, peppers, and celery to your roux and cook about 10 minutes or so (until your vegetables have softened). Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook an additional 5 minutes.
- Add the water (to cover), pureed kale, spinach, chicken soup base, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, cayenne, white & black peppers, and file powder. Stir and bring to a boil. Then, turn the heat down, cover, and simmer 1 hour or so.
- Taste and add salt if desired. Serve over rice and if you’d like, top with some steamed shrimp or crawdads.
My husband and I LOVED this recipe and I hope you enjoy it as well!
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