{"id":4521,"date":"2021-08-16T14:42:29","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T19:42:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/?p=4521"},"modified":"2021-08-16T14:42:30","modified_gmt":"2021-08-16T19:42:30","slug":"make-lemon-gumbo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/make-lemon-gumbo\/","title":{"rendered":"Make Lemon Gumbo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When life gives you okra, make lemon gumbo. Life didn\u2019t\ngive me lemons last week, but it gave me some HUGE okra pods. A mere two days\naway from the garden and tiny pods grew so big my grandmother would have\ndisinherited me for not picking them sooner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The pods weren\u2019t really hard or dry, but they were large\nand slightly tougher than anything I would want to fry. After the planting,\nweeding, and watering, I don\u2019t like to throw away anything I\u2019ve grown unless I must.\nI decided to use the pods in a stew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, I decided to use the pods in a stew made from\ningredients I had on hand. That turned out to be a lemon, some boneless\/skinless\nchicken breasts, chicken stock, brown rice, and seasonings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While gumbo may technically be a stew thickened with okra, no one I know would call a dish gumbo<\/a> unless it began with a roux. This did not. Maybe I should call it Coulda-Been-Gumbo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway, I began with a 32 oz box of ImagineR Organic Free\nRange Chicken Broth and 2 quarts of water. Into that, I squeezed one fresh\nlemon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I removed the ends of each okra pod and sliced them about 1\/8\u201d thick. I added the slices to the stock along with one shishito<\/a> pepper with the non-stem end removed. Then I chopped a small carrot and threw it in. While this mixture was heating, I sprinkled salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper over the mixture. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wanted to add a little more flavor to the broth, so I dug\naround in the spice cabinet opening jars and smelling spices. I like to do this\nwhile standing close enough to the boiling pot that I can smell the spice jar\nand the broth in the same breath. Then I pick the best combination of aromas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, I chose a blend from Penzeys Spices called Ruth\nAnn\u2019s Muskego Ave Seasoning. The aroma reminds me a little of the chicken bullion\ncubes my mother used. It\u2019s a blend of salt, black pepper, garlic, lemon peel,\nand onion. I sprinkled in about a half teaspoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike when I test recipes, when I cook like this I rarely\nmeasure. That means I can\u2019t tell you precisely how much I added. I can tell you\nit smelled right after I stirred everything together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By now, the mixture was boiling. I reduced the heat and\nallowed it to simmer for 30 minutes. Then I removed the pepper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning the heat back up, I added a cup of parboiled brown\nrice and 4 thin sliced chicken breasts. I sprinkled the chicken breasts and\nrice with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. I put on a lid, reduced\nthe heat to medium low, and set a timer for 25 minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the timer alerted me, I turned off the heat and\nallowed the gumbo to sit for about 5 minutes before I spooned some into a bowl.\nAfter a little cooling, I was ready to sample. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flavors were scrumptious and the texture was pleasing.\nThe lemon juice prevented the okra from making the broth slimy. The extra\ncooking time caused the slices to break apart into tender pieces of green pod\nand loose seeds. The chicken was moist and tender. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was pleased enough that I want to try this again. Perhaps next time, I\u2019ll use tilapia instead of chicken. And maybe I\u2019ll add some lemongrass for added citrus zing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m pretty sure the opportunity will present itself soon. Okra grows FAST! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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