Saintly Gumbo

Now that was a great Super Bowl!!! I am so excited that the Saints won! Wearing that itchy gold sweater for four hours was worth it. To get ready for the game, as well as dragging out the black and gold outfit (the same one I wore last year for the Steelers), I also read through a treasured New Orleans cookbook borrowed from a neighbor who cooks up the most delicious food. Everything from the first recipe to the last sounded so yummy. The cookbook read like a juicy culinary novel; hopefully, I didn't leave any drool marks on the pages.

However, most of the soup recipes had meat or shrimp and I wanted to try out a new approach to gumbo, one that I could actually convert to a veggie gumbo or to one using a sustainable seafood. Lo and behold, Mark Bittman must have been reading my mind and he published a recipe for "lighter gumbo" in last Wednesday's New York Times. I love the Wednesday NYT! Anyway, I made it on Saturday and will share the recipe and the tweaks. I think this would be lovely with tofu as well, as long as the seasonings are hearty enough. I am not crazy about tofu unless the dish is really brightly seasoned. Mark's recipe uses a more sustainable shellfish, scallops, instead of shrimp which are one of the worst seafood choices to make if you are interested in the health of the oceans (see Eating Animals in post "Are you booked?")

Here is Mark's recipe. I did think the flavors were better the next day and this gumbo also made a perfect pre-game lunch.

Saintly Gumbo

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup flour

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic

sea salt and black pepper
2-3 cups vegetable broth

2 cups chopped tomatoes with their juice (Eden Organic's cans are safe and BPA-free)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried

2 bay leaves
cayenne to taste

Old Bay Seasoning to taste

1 pound scallops or firm tofu, cur in to bite-sized cubes

Chopped fresh parsley or other herb of choice

* Note: although not in Mark's recipe, I would add in okra!

To prepare roux (some friends chimed in here and they measure the "doneness" of roux by the number of beers consumed?!):

Put oil and butter in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. When butter melts, add flour and cook, stirring almost constantly, until roux darkens and becomes fragrant, about 15-20 minutes. As it cooks, adjust heat so that it doesn't burn. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic and raise heat to medium. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and Old Bay Seasoning. Stir frequently until veggies have softened, about 10 minutes.

Stir in stock, tomatoes, thyme, oregano, bay leaves and cayenne. Cover and bring to a boil, Reduce heat to a simmer and cook another 20 minutes. Add scallops and cook until no longer translucent, about 2 minutes. If using tofu, add in here as well. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning, making sure there is a little "kick" to the flavor from the cayenne or even a splash of Tabasco sauce.

Serve over steamed brown basmati rice and garnish with chopped parsley. Serves 6-8. Any leftovers are even better the next day!

Who Dat Stuffing Ya Game Face?

Ahh, the Super Bowl....a football game totally in a class by itself. Having grown up in The 'Burgh, I am a Steelers fan and this time last year, was in my element. I was still out with Mom and Dad and we rounded up every Pittsburgh-y treat we could find...kielbasa, pierogis, Heinz catsup, Iron City beer and of course, Klondlike ice cream bars, both smooth and crispy. Dad pulled out his treasured "Terrible Towels", we each donned a Steelers knit cap and we each had armchairs ready to second guess the quarterback before Monday morning. (I don't quite get football and so, what the heck, I shouted mainly "Go get 'em's!") We ate and howled and waved our towels over every move the Steelers made, in between stuffing our faces, of course. It was great fun, a glorious victory and the perfect last Super Bowl for my dad. When he passed away three weeks later, I think he was still "in the moment". The Terrible Towels and Steelers caps were out in full view when I got back up there.

Well, that was last year. This year, the Steelers were not on their game and hopefully, the Saints are marching (well, passing and kicking) towards victory. Food and fun will flow all day and night on Sunday. Crawfish, gumbo, red beans and rice, cornbread, pralines. Win or lose the Super Bowl, New Orleans food is totally in a class by itself! A friend sent this dip recipe to me and it looks like it has a nice, spicy little kick to it...a perfect way to stuff my game face this Super Bowl! Go Saints!

Who Dat Roasted Pepper and Feta Dip

4 whole roasted red bell peppers (either roast yourself and peel or buy the jarred ones and drain)

2 cups crumbled feta cheese * see note below

4 large garlic cloves, peeled

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Sea salt (maybe)

Put peeled garlic cloves in a blender and pulse to mince. Add whole peppers (drained well if jarred and peeled if you have roasted them yourself. Put roasted peppers in a brown bag while they are hot, hot, hot and they will peel easier). Pulse until the peppers and garlic are a smooth paste. Add feta cheese, lemon juice and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne. Taste and add either more lemon juice or more cayenne or both. Taste also for saltiness. Feta is a salty cheese and you may not need to add any. Pulse until smooth and place in fridge. Serve with pita chips or lots and lots of beautiful veggies. Makes 3 cups.

* I love French goats milk feta or locally made if you can find it. It is way less salty and because of that, blends flavors rather than dominates them. By all means, use your favorite feta and add sea salt to taste. I also prefer to blanch broccoli rather than serve it raw.