Mini Gumbo

What happens when you buy okra, tomatoes, bell pepper, and onions at the farmer's market?  Well, I don't know what happens to you, but I created a bastardized version of Gumbo.  I call it: Mini-Gumbo.

I made Gumbo a few weeks ago and then went right back to the farmer's market and bought all the same ingredients, hoping for divine inspiration...or thievery from the Internet.  Theft beat out divinity and I mutated it until I made that **recipe*** my own.  I got it from Just a Pinch Recipes, which is an online community of cooks sharing their recipes.  The one I stole from and modified is by Donna Brown.

I bet you're asking yourself why didn't she just make Gumbo again?  And I have an excellent answer: I wanted something I could throw together quickly and still have the beautiful blend of okra and tomatoes.  If you've never made roux for Gumbo, it can be somewhat labor and time intensive, and worth every bit of it!  I just wanted some sort of stewy soupy tomatoey okra dish to put over rice without spending much time in the kitchen plus cook time.  Making Gumbo takes time and dedication to the perfection that it becomes, but I was in a lazy mood.  I wasn't even in the mood for shrimp or sausage.  Just the vegetables.

I started with chopping the holy trinity of Cajun cooking: onion, celery and bell pepper.  I like my pieces small but you can chop yours bigger.

I put olive oil in a sauté pan and let it heat on medium for about a minute.  

I added the trinity and turned the heat down while I cut the stems off the okra and sliced them.  

Occasionally I stopped slicing long enough to stir the trinity.  What do you get when you cross a New Orleans priest with burnt Cajun trinity?  I have no idea but he would be close to profanity if you burned these vegetables instead of sautéing them.  That would be my guess.  If I had to guess.

Right before the onions become translucent add the garlic.  You only want the garlic to sauté for one minute.

Next, add tomatoes, okra, tomato sauce and your choice of Louisiana, Creole or Cajun seasoning.  I have tried several different ones and like them all, from Tony Chachere's to Louisiana Cajun.  I like it hot so I also added red pepper and some Tabasco.

I turned the heat up until just to boiling, then I turned it to low and put a lid on it, letting it simmer for about 30 minutes, which is more than enough time to make your rice in a rice cooker.  Please tell me you have one.  Minute Rice is a life saver when you literally only have 5 minutes to wait.  A rice cooker makes flawless rice each time and it tastes so much better.  They have become very affordable. You'll thank me for it!

If you enjoy the taste of okra and tomatoes, this is a great way to enjoy the combination without the hassle of making Gumbo.  I made mine without seafood or any kind of meat but you could add what you like.  Remove any offending ingredient and make it your own, like I did.  If you think the tomato sauce makes it too tomatoey, which I'm not entirely convinced that's even a possibility, you can add chicken broth instead.  Do what you want, it's your kitchen.

Let me know if you try this and whether or not you liked it.  Tell me what you changed and made different.

Happy Cooking!

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 C combined Celery, Onion, Bell Pepper, in whatever proportions you want

1 Tbsp Garlic, minced

1 Lb Okra, sliced

1 Lb or 16oz Fresh or Canned Tomatoes

8 oz Tomato Sauce

Red Pepper, Cajun or Creole Seasoning, Tabasco 

Sauté the chopped trinity in olive oil on low heat. Add the garlic just before the onions become translucent and cook for another minute.

Add the okra, tomatoes, tomato sauce and however much of the seasoning you prefer.

Bring to a boil and reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes. Serve over rice and have a cold beer.