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Mallow Leaf Gumbo

Mallow Leaf Gumbo is a modern British recipe for the use of mallow leaf powder (the dried and powdered leaves of common mallow) in a fish and meat-based stew heavily based on traditional Louisiana gumbos. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British dish of: Mallow Leaf Gumbo.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

70 minutes

Total Time:

90 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating:

Tags : Chilli RecipesPork RecipesVegetable RecipesBritish Recipes

This is my own twist on a traditional Louisiana Filé gumbo. This is a traditional stew that incorporates filé powder (dried and ground sassafras leaves) as a flavouring and thickener. It's a method of stew thickening incorporated from the cooking practices of the Arawak Indians (the other method is to use okra, brought from Africa by slaves). Sassafras is rare in Europe, but my culinary examinations of wild ingredients revealed that European Common Mallow leaves had many of the properties of Sassafras.

Ingredients:

100g butter
4 celery sticks, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 parsley sprigs, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
50g flour
4 tbsp mallow leaf powder
2l fish stock or water
2 bay leaves
1 sprig of thyme
1 chilli pepper, finely chopped
120g smoked ham, diced
120g hot sausage (chorizo is good) cut into 0.5cm slices
150g prawns, shelled (reserve shells and heads for stock)
250g firm white fish, cubed
salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:

Place the butter in a large soup pan and heat to melt. When nicely melted and sizzling add the celery, onion, parsley, bell pepper and garlic. Fry over a low flame for about 20 minutes, or until the onion is soft and golden then add the flour and mallow leaf powder.

Stir the mixture constantly for about ten minutes to form a roux then add the stock and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer then cook for about 20 minutes before adding the ham, fish and sausage. Continue cooking for a further 30 minutes.

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly then add the prawns and thyme. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes then adjust the seasonings and serve on a bed of rice.