"Roberta" > wrote in message
news:lLYPe.3212$dm.1077@lakeread03...
> jmcquown wrote:
>> Roberta wrote:
>>
>>>I know I can just pick and choose - but never having made it before I
>>>am just not sure what's gonna be good
>>>
>>>Roberta
>>
>>
>> There you have it! No one was ever sure what gumbo was gonna be; the
>> Cajuns
>> were true inventors of what the folks on alt.binaries.food call
>> "musgovian"
>> cuisine - a.k.a., everything must go. That's sort of what gumbo means
>> It's basically just a thick vegetable stew with whatever meat you want
>> (or
>> have) added to it, served over rice to stretch the meal.
>>
>> I've had chicken gumbo, seafood gumbo, sausage gumbo, chicken/sausage
>> gumbo,
>> and just plain vegetable gumbo. The word "gumbo" originated with African
>> slaves but was quickly adopted by Cajun & Creole cooks.
>>
>> Okra thickens the stew but isn't necessary; I prefer to add it (and even
>> use
>> frozen sliced okra! ha! Sue me). File powder (ground sassafras leaves)
>> added at the very end acts as an additional thickener and also adds a
>> unique
>> taste (hence the phrase 'file gumbo'.)
>>
>> Whatever you do will be fine as long as you have the roux down pat (stir,
>> stir, stir) and don't forget to saute in butter or bacon grease the holy
>> trinity of bell pepper, onion and celery... and to the stew add ground
>> black
>> pepper, red (cayenne) pepper and white pepper.
>>
>> Jill
>>
>>
> Thank you don't know what file powder is - nor where to find it...I
> think this time I will have to pass. I do, however, have okra. Mine is
> frozen as well - I really have an aversion to the fresh stuff.. when I was
> young my grandparent grew it, it's very very slimy. My Granddaddy used to
> eat the stuff boiled with stewed tomatoes and Lord knows what...it was so
> nasty looking!
>
> Roberta (in VA)

Penzy's sells file.
Yum, yum, okra, slimy & all.
Dee Dee
Shenandoah Valley, VA