I've been craving gumbo since I made it in February. I pretty much stuck to the same recipe this time around, with the exception of two additions: filet powder, oysters, and mitsuba.
Seafood gumbo
Filet (dried sassafras leaves made into powder) is a traditional gumbo ingredient (added just before serving). I musn't understate how unique and delicious this spice renders this dish. Wow. If you haven't tried using filet in gumbo, it's time to give it a try. It might be described as a smokey bay leaf with a heavy, aromatic accent all its own.
Fresh mitsuba herb from the garden
Mitsuba however, being a Japanese herb, is not something normally used in gumbo! I decided I'd give it a try after running out of flat leaf parsley. The two herbs are not entirely dissimilar, and with plenty of mitsuba growing outside, I thought... why not? To my surprise the addition of mitsuba worked really well, lending the gumbo a fresh and zesty bite. Plus, I loved the idea of Asia-fying gumbo, being an appropriate theme for this blog.
Banana lassi with cardamom
To cool down my tongue, I made a banana lassi by blending Greek yogurt, banana, a few pieces of frozen mango, a splash of mango juice, and some honey to sweeten it further. I topped it with fresh banana slices, a dollop of Greek yogurt, and a bit of powdered cardamom. Actually I just sort of made this drink up, using the flavors I craved -- I don't know if there is actually such a thing as banana lassi -- but I think I'll be making it again.
Comments
I had a banana lassi in India (even though it was Not Cooked and therefore Bad and would Make Me Sick), so there definitely is such a thing :)
It was very good, too. The bananas are better there...
Posted by: Laurel | March 5, 2006 05:22 PM
File is definitely the thing that totally makes gumbo feel "authentic" to me. I didn't LOVE it the first time I had it, but have learned to really appreciate it. I'm excited to find you got ahold of some!
Posted by: Rose | March 6, 2006 04:59 AM
By the way... I planted some seeds in peat pellets last week and they are already coming up! I believe the new babies I have on this end are your tomatoes and peppers, EJP. So I wanted to thank you again.
I'm going to try to find a way to grow the cucumbers, but I don't think I have enough sprawl for them.
Posted by: Rose | March 6, 2006 07:32 AM
Yummm, that banana lassi looked soooo good.
Posted by: homer | March 6, 2006 05:11 PM
Laurel: good to know! Glad I didn't make up something completely goofy. I bet bananas are amazing in India..
Rose: good news about the seeds! Don't give up on the peppers... they take a long time to mature... 2/3 years until you get a decent sized plant. But it is well worth the effort, and a great investment. I can't remember the last time I actually bought peppers.
Posted by: Evil Jonny | March 7, 2006 07:24 AM
You know something, with this heatwave we are having over here, I am practically drooling over that banana lassi. Havent tried cardamom with a lassi before. But I am sure it will be interesting. As soon as I get home, I am whipping some up. For now I shall just look at the picture and drool over my office table.
Posted by: Rathi | March 7, 2006 07:51 PM
Hi Rathi, how did your banana lassi turn out? I'm planning on making another one tonight to use up the rest of my yogurt. I think I'll try blending a little cardamom in this time rather than sprinkling it on top... mmm... can't wait.
Posted by: Evil Jonny | March 8, 2006 07:22 AM
You know Evil Johnny, that was the first thing I did once I reached home. After that I was in a lassi-induced coma. ITS yUMMY!!!! Even my puppy had some (without cardamom) and the both of us slept like logs last night....Thanks for the recipe!
Posted by: Rathi | March 8, 2006 06:13 PM
Glad (both of) you liked it, Rathi!
Posted by: Evil Jonny | March 10, 2006 07:15 AM