Many times vegetarian gumbo is just the same old meaty gumbo with the meat left out of the mix. The problem with that approach is that much of the flavor—smoke, salt, and savoriness—is derived from those meat sources. Here we’ve used a method traditionally used in Indian cookery to make rich curries and infused some of those flavors back in by using soy sauce and liquid smoke. The idea is to make a paste from garlic, onions, vegetables, and spices to flavor the whole dish so that everything else in the pot will be perfectly delicious.
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped tomato (1 medium)
1 ½ cups chopped onion (1 medium)
8 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoon Creole mustard
1 ½ teaspoons liquid smoke
1 tablespoon vinegar
½ teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 quart vegetable stock
4 cups sliced okra (¼-inch slices, stem-end discarded)
1 ½ cups red beans (1 16-ounce can, drained and rinsed, or make your own)
10 ounces crimini mushrooms, quartered
1 ½ cups diced zucchini (1 medium)
1 ½ cups diced green pepper (1 large)
1 ½ cups diced red pepper (1 large)
1 cup thinly sliced celery (2 ribs)
4 to 5 cups cooked jasmine rice
½ cup sliced green onion (to garnish)
5 to 6 sprigs baby dill (to garnish)
To make the roux, place the canola oil and flour into a cold medium-size Dutch oven. This is the pot in which you will eventually make the gumbo. A heavy pot like this is essential when making a roux because of its ability to distribute heat evenly. With the oil and flour in the Dutch oven, turn the heat on medium. Whisk the mixture constantly until you notice that it has become nutty and fragrant, both of which happen about 5 minutes into the process. (It will smell a bit like fried chicken.) At this point, turn the heat to low. Keep a close eye on your roux, and whisk the mixture about every minute so that no part of the roux burns. Continue in this fashion for another 20 minutes or until the roux has taken on the color of an old penny. Remove the pot from the heat.
Into the work bowl of your food processor, place the tomato, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, liquid smoke, vinegar, hot sauce, soy sauce, thyme, red pepper flakes, paprika, nutmeg, and oregano. (This may be an unconventional method for making gumbo, but it works beautifully.) Blend the mixture until smooth. This is your flavoring agent for the whole dish.
Now return the Dutch oven with the roux still in it to a burner set to medium-high heat, and immediately add to it the mixture you just made in the food processor. Stir to incorporate. Continue cooking and stirring the resulting mixture until most of the liquid has evaporated and it resembles a paste. Add the vegetable stock and stir. Once the mixture is heated through, turn the burner to medium-low. Add the okra, red beans, mushrooms, zucchini, green and red peppers, and celery to the pot. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes until everything is heated through, but not mush.
To serve, ladle gumbo into a bowl and top with about ½ cup of rice, a few green onions, and a sprig of fresh dill. Have plenty of crusty French bread and butter on hand for sopping up the amazing broth.
Makes 8 servings.
TIP: If you like okra but are not a fan of the sliminess that can sometimes occur with it, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a frying pan and then sauté the sliced okra in batches until lightly browned. Add the cooked okra to the gumbo. Problem solved!