"MustGo" Gumbo

I am really going to date myself with this post…but I am OK with that.

  

When I was a little girl, on Friday nights we would pack up after my Dad got home from work and travel about an hour to one or the other Grandparents home for the weekend.  If we went to Grandmother and Granddaddy Gleason’s in Minden, Grandmother would have supper ready for us upon arrival, consisting usually of spaghetti or fried chicken.  After dinner, we would watch television shows like “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.” or “The Brady Bunch”.  The next morning after cartoons and French toast, we would often buy fabric and sew a new outfit, play outside with cousins climbing trees, or walk to the duck pond.  My Grandparents loved “The Lawrence Welk Show” so Saturday night; it was appointment television for the entire family.  An idea has stuck with me all of these years that I remember from what the Lennon Sisters (singing group appearing regularly on the show) said about their family one night on Lawrence Welk.  They shared that every Sunday whatever food was leftover from the week in the refrigerator was placed in one pot, heated through and was called… “MustGo”.  It was their favorite meal. 

Here in Louisiana the word “Gumbo” is often used as a metaphor for our mix of cultures.  As a dish, Gumbo is a heavily seasoned stew-like concoction, combining several varieties of meats or seafood with the texture of gravy made from a Roux. 

Remembering the Lennon Sisters, plus having most of the ingredients to make a Gumbo (in one form or another); I decided to make a “MustGo” Gumbo.  It was delicious!  What’s in your fridge/freezer/pantry?  You too can make one of your own… after all it is Sunday!

“MustGo” Gumbo

Ingredients

1 cup Roux (leftover)

2 onions, chopped medium (last of bulk)

3 quarts liquid - stock, water, etc (I had leftover vegetable stock and added water to make 3 quarts)

4 cloves garlic, minced fine

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

“MustGo”: (You may have other “MustGo” ingredients, use what you have)

Giardiniera  – about 1 cup (leftovers from 2 open jars in fridge, minus spent herbs and peppercorns, drained, rinsed and rough chopped

10 pork sausage links – sliced, cooked

4 boneless/skinless chicken thighs – seasoned with salt pepper and garlic powder, cooked and cubed

1 pound frozen cut okra (leftover from another recipe)

1 pound frozen stew vegetables (leftover from another recipe)

Beef bouillon – about 1 tablespoon (leftover from previous recipes in 2 almost empty jars)

Method

• In a stock pot, place Roux and onions and sauté for about 3 minutes until soft.
• Add Giardiniera and garlic , continue to sautéing for another 2 to 3 minutes.  
• Add liquid, salt, pepper thyme and bouillon continuing to stir until thoroughly combined.  
• Cook over medium for an hour stirring occasionally.  
• Add sausage, chicken, okra and stew vegetables continuing to cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Season to taste. 

Serve over rice.  Enjoy!  

~CGJ