Gumbo zHerbes

• 1/2 cup cooking oil (or bacon fat), plus more for frying oysters
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 1/2 bunch celery, chopped
• 2 medium turnips, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup plus 1/2 cup chopped scallions
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups total of 2 or more of the following (washed thoroughly and coarsely chopped): turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, spinach, kale, escarole, or chard
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon file powder
• 2 quarts Chicken Stock (p. 206)
• 1 pint oysters (strain and reserve the liquor)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Bouquet Garni (p. 145) made with parsley stems, bay leaf, and thyme
• Salt and pepper
• Hot sauce
• Cornmeal, for dusting
• Cooked white rice, optional

1. Heat 1/2 cup oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until almost smoking.
2. Carefully whisk in the flour.
3. Continue whisking until the roux is the color of peanut butter, or a little darker.
4. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, turnips, 1 cup scallions, and garlic, and cook, stirring to coat vegetables with roux, for 5 minutes.
5. Add the greens, stir, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until they are wilted; add the thyme and file powder.
6. Stir in the chicken stock, 2 cups at a time, bringing the mixture to a boil after each addition.
7. Whisk in the oyster liquor and Worcestershire sauce.
8. Bring the gumbo to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
9. Add the Bouquet Garni and cook over medium-low heat for about 1 hour, adding more chicken stock or water if the mixture gets too thick.
10. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
11. Heat 1/2 inch of the vegetable oil in a medium skillet to about 350F.
12. Dust raw oysters with cornmeal and shallow-fry very quickly, until golden.
13. Season with salt and pepper.
14. To serve the gumbo, ladle generous portions into bowls and garnish each bowl with 3 oysters, the remaining scallions, and hot rice, if desired.

cooking oil, flour, onions, green bell peppers, celery, scallions, garlic, thyme, file powder, chicken, oysters, worcestershire sauce, bouquet garni, salt, sauce, cornmeal, white rice

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/gumbo-z-herbes-383466 (may not work)