gumbo z'herbes

green gumbo. i love greens. from the first time i had salty collard greens at a thanksgiving potluck on the west side of chicago i have loved greens. up until a year and a bit ago i worked at a little independent pet store. i loved that job because, for the most part, there was always something that needed doing and everything was different. my last year there i was in charge of the reptiles and had, amongst all other things, the task of feeding them. we had an eleven year old sulcatta tortoise (about a foot diameter) as well as two adult iguanas (not at the same time) that had been found in trees in the city (they're cheap and small as babies, but they get big ~5-6 feet) - all total herbivores with big appetites. in addition to this were the omnivorous lizards: the bearded dragons, the uromastyxes (guessing at the plural here), the skinks, etc. so i cut up each week a varied and varying mix of greens that i would wash, dry, and chop up at home then feed to the animals at work. as a result i had a great variety of greenery passing through my home, and needless to say, took my tithe.
mustard, collard, turnip, beet greens, carrot tops, chard, spinach, and all matter of lettuce. since then i have not eaten nearly as many greens (save probably spinach) if it wasn't thanksgiving. but with the farmers' markets becoming lush and my csa basket not letting me choose, i got some greens in the fridge
gumbo z'herbes is a traditional good friday dish with as many different kinds of greens as you can find. my version this night was untraditional, no okra, no file powder, but i've never made a roux this good and i think that sealed the deal. i used (quantities of greens very approximate):

• rainbow chard, stemmed (~1 bunch)
• baby spinach (3 big handfuls)
• beet greens (from one bunch of beets), stemmed - all washed and chopped into ribbons
  
• ~2 sprigs tarragon leaves
• 1 medium yellow onion, fine dice
• 1/2 green bell pepper, fine dice
• 1 stalk celery, fine dice
• 3 cloves garlic, fine dice
• 2 bay leaves
• sprig of thyme
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 oz. flour, by weight
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• cayenne pepper, to taste

in a medium dutch oven over medium heat add the oil, when shimmering add the flour and cook whisking often for 30-50 minutes. the flour should get darker and darker while starting to smell crazy good. if you just can't take it anymore, or you're worried it might burn, then add the veg. a brick colour is ideal, but i gave up at a brown roux and it tasted better than any gumbo i've ever had.when satisfied with the colour, add the onion, bell pepper, and celery, cook 7 minutes or so and add the garlic, bay leaves and thyme. cook 3 or 4 minutes more, then add the stock and the greens. simmer 30-40 minutes uncovered and serve over long grain white rice with hot sauce as needed.