Collard Greens Gumbo & Smoked Turkey

While I’ve put collard greens in my duck and andouille sausage gumbo, my shrimp, lobster and scallop gumbo, and 3 crabs’ and crawfish gumbo, until today, I’ve never made gumbo collard greens. That is a gumbo where the greens are the star of the show. I was preparing dinner for a dear friend’s birthday celebration. She wanted ‘soulfood.’ I didn’t want to serve the usual collards, so I went in search of collard green recipes online. Much to my delight I found many different versions of collard greens gumbo. I decided that was what I was going to prepare, my version of collard greens gumbo. When I told her what I was planning on doing, to say she was a tad dubious would be an understatement.

So, I took the humble collard greens and took them up 10 notches, by turning them into a delicious and flavorful gumbo. Was it worth it? Was it worth all that time and effort?

Making collard greens gumbo has a few moving parts. Creating the stock from smoked meat, which can be done beforehand, or even a couple of weeks before and then frozen. Making the roux, which can also be made ahead of time, refrigerated or frozen. The collard greens can also be prepped ahead of time too. And yes, they can be frozen as well. And finally putting it all together. So, in answer to my question, was it worth it? Oh, my goodness, it is ooh, soooooooo worth it!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Cajun, Creole, Jamaican fusion, New Orleans

Keyword Collard Greens, Gumbo, Smoked Turkey

yellow yellow

red red

green green

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 2

Resting Time 10

Total Time 2 50

Servings Servings

Calories 182kcal

Author Dr. Wendy Dearborne

Equipment

8-10 quart stock pot
6-quart stock pot or dutch oven
1 high heat-resistant cooking spoon
1 Measuring cup

Ingredients

4 pounds collard greens or greens of your choice thoroughly washed, rolled and cut into strips 4-5 bunches of collards stems trimmed

Roux

1 cup Vegetable oil
1 cup All-purpose flour

Aromatics

2 Large yellow onions chopped
1 Red bell pepper chopped
1 Green bell pepper chopped
1 Orange bell pepper chopped
3 Large celery stalks chopped
4-6 Garlic cloves chopped
1 Sprig fresh thyme
2 Bay leaves
1-2 tsp Cayenne Pepper or to taste (optional)
1 tsp Dried thyme
1 tbsp Garlic powder
1 tbsp Onion powder
1 tbsp Hot smoked paprika
1 tbsp Italian seasoning

Stock Smoked Turkey

1 Large Smoked turkey leg or 2 small turkey legs. You can also use 3-4 smoked turkey wings or smoked ham hocks.
10 cups Chicken Stock unsalted or low sodium 2.5 quarts or 10 cups of water
3-4 Chicken andouille sausages or smoked andouille sausages. I used smoked beef sausages cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 tbsp Better than bouillon chicken stock I used this with water to make 10 cups of stock.
1 tsp fresh black pepper
1 tsp Salt or taste

Garnish

2-4 spring onions finely minced or 2-3 tbsp parsley finely chopped
1 tsp Filé pronounced fee lay optional

Instructions

Wash greens thoroughly. Roll into a cigar shape and cut into strips and set aside.
Mix your bouillon cube with 10 cups of water if using and set aside.

Making Smoked Turkey Stock

Adding the smoked turkey leg or smoked meat to an 8-10 quart stock pot. Pour in chicken stock or water.
Bring the pot to a boil cover, and then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer. Cook for 60-75 minutes until the smoked meat is just tender.
Once cool enough, remove the meat from the bone, making sure to remove any of the sharp cartilage that are in the leg of the turkey.

Making The Roux

Meanwhile, prepare your Cajun trinity. Chop the celery, bell peppers and onions and set aside. Chop garlic and set that aside.
Slice andouille sausage and set aside.
In another 6-8 quart stock pot or a large dutch oven, combine the vegetable oil and flour. Over medium low heat, using high heat resistant cooking spoon, stirring constantly, make a roux.
The roux will go through several different color changes, from blonde to dark chocolate. Keep stirring until the roux darkens into a deep brown color. Be patient and stir continuously to avoid burning. If the roux burns you can’t save it. You'll have to make a new batch of roux.
When the roux has achieved the desired color, add your chopped onions, bell pepper and celery. Stir them into the roux and cook until softened. 5-10 minutes.
Add the chopped garlic, fresh thyme, bay leaves, garlic and onion powders, Italian herbs, dried thyme, cayenne pepper, hot smoked paprika, black pepper and salt. Mix well and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Stir continuously.
Add 2 cups of the smoked turkey stock to the roux. Mix well. Then add another 2 cups and mix until the roux is the consistency of a thinnish pancake batter.
Add all of the turkey stock and mix well, then increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Stir, cover and reduce heat to medium low, more on the lower side, and then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adding a couple of cups of stock at a time ensures that there are no lumps of roux in your pot liquor.

Adding The Collard Greens

Add the chopped greens to the pot, along with the turkey meat. Bring the pot back to a boil, stir well and cover. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, the heat should be more on the lower end.
After 30 minutes, add the sliced andouille sausage and cover. Allow to simmer for another 20-30 minutes. The cooking time will depend on how you like your greens to be cooked. Stir occasionally.
Once the collard greens are cooked to your desired doneness, check for seasoning. Adjust seasoning if needed, stir well. Allow to simmer for another 2 minutes.
Turn the heat off and allow the pot to remain, covered and untouched for 10 minutes.

Garnishing

Serve your gumbo collard greens over hot fragrant rice garnished with spring onions or parsley and a tiny sprinkle of filé (fee lay).

Notes

The Greens:

You can use mustard, turnip, kale or whatever greens you like. The greens can be prepared ahead of time, even frozen. Which is what I did. I cleaned (washed) cut and froze the collard greens. I didn't defrost them. I put them directly into the pot from the freezer. If frozen, DO NOT defrost as that changes the texture of the greens.

The Stock:

The stock can be made ahead of time also. Follow the instructions in the recipe. It can be made up to 4 weeks ahead of time and then frozen. Pull the meat apart into large chunks and put it back into the stock before freezing. Allow the stock to cool completely before freezing. To defrost place the container in the refrigerator overnight or a couple days before you want to use it.

The Roux:

The roux can also be made ahead of time. It can be refrigerated for up to 4 weeks or frozen for up to 6 months.

Smoked Meat:

Any smoked meat can be used for this recipe.

Seafood:

Can shrimp, crab, crawfish etc. be added to collard greens gumbo? Yes, it's gumbo, the star of the show in this recipe will always be the collard greens.

Nutrition