It’s Mardi Gras season again and every year it stirs up fond memories of the years I lived in New Orleans. The colorful people, beautiful architecture and, of course, delicious food made a huge impression on me and changed my life forever. One whiff of a well-made roux cooking on a stove top sends me back in time.
When one thinks of New Orleans food, images of seafood, boiled crawfish, Andouille sausage, mile-high muffalettas and oyster Po’ Boys come to mind, but it is possible to experience the flavors of the Big Easy as a vegetarian or vegan. In fact, early on in my cooking career, I worked at one of the few vegetarian restaurants in New Orleans which was located in the French Quarter. I learned so much there about incorporating the essence of Creole and Cajun cuisine using little or no animal products.
Gumbo originated in Louisiana in the 18th century and has cultural influences from Spain, France, Africa and the Native Americans as well. The Creoles introduced tomatoes to the dish, the Africans gave it okra, and the Cajuns insist that it’s not real gumbo if it’s not laden with shrimp, crab and oysters. There is an original veggie version called "Gumbo z’Herbs" that was introduced by either the French or German Catholics during the season of Lent when consumption of meat is not allowed. This version combines turnip greens, mustard greens and spinach that are cooked to a mushy consistency and strained to produce a thick green liquid. Needless to say, it is very time consuming to make and rarely served in New Orleans’ restaurants these days.
My vegetarian version of gumbo combines the best of all gumbo's influences and is a heckuva lot easier to make than Gumbo z’Herbs. Using lentils in place of rice gives the dish a natural smokiness in the absence of sausage. So fear not, my vegetarian friends. You can “laissez les bon temps rouler” right next to your carnivorous counterparts when enjoying the cuisine of New Orleans.
This article appears in Feb 24 – Mar 2, 2011.