Culture, food: Saturday Gumbo from leftovers

Saturday today. Tired from getting in so late/early as it were, from last night´s Culture Night! Got bananas from the bodega still open last night, on the way to the bus. Had planned on going into the city again today, for my usual 4-6 hours daily study at one of the cafes or library, but still haven´t yet. Am "lazin aroun" doing laundry, blogging, cooking lunch. Gumbo!

Lots of bits and pieces of not much in the fridge and larder in the kitchen, so decided to make a quick gumbo of various veggies, herbs, some left over Voss sausage, rice, and the Tri (bell pepper, onion, celery, and garlic. Yeah that´s four, but I still call it the Tri,))

So easy, quick. Make a roux of some flour, butter, oil, onion, celery, bell peppers whatever colors you have to hand (I had yellow, red, orange not green). Throw in a few coriander seeds. Saute. Add garlic don´t burn it, add the chopped herbs (this would make a great green gumbo, or herbz de gumbo, gumbo verte, or gumbo Z´herbs, whatever you wish to call it!). Since I had a few other things, I threw them in also: the Voss sausage, red onions, some leftover pulled beef/roast beef, etc. It´s boiling a bit now. Added some pepper sauce (tabasco, hot sauce) I´d made from some red chilis in some vinegar. It´s all good in the gumbo, whatever you have or like. Stir it up, simmer it boil it down, til you like the consistency. I have some file´ so will add that too. I didn´t have any okra this time, but I usually put okra in all my gumbo, and add the file´ when serving. They both give a certain something, and the file´ just adds a nice hint of sassafras.

Iced tea, some rice, baby spinach salad with those leftovers. And, for dessert, with the ripe strawberries in the fridge: strawberries lightly sauteed in butter with a little vanilla sugar!

So, that´s whatcha do with leftovers in my kitchen. You don´t throw them away, if you can help it!:)