Granny's Garden Vegetable Saute

Granny's Garden Vegetable Saute

This recipe is one my beloved Granny, Arretta Beard used to make. It isn't so much of an actual recipe, as it is a way to use the bits and pieces of garden produce that you just don't have enough of to make a dish of alone. This is what I had last night: 

A huge zucchini that had been over looked at least a couple of days... coupled with over 2" of rain! Some ripe tomatoes that needed used ASAP. Onion. Yellow squash, (red) bell pepper, mushrooms, green beans, and okra. (I cooked  and served the okra separately, but it is fine in this dish, if you like.) I had a baggie of leftover crudites from Mr C's lunch... celery, baby carrots.
The key ingredients in Granny's dish always were squash, tomatoes and onions. 

So, whack up the veggies. (This zucchini was so big, I scooped the seeds out and chopped up the flesh of it. I actually had enough raw veggies cut up that I sealed half in a freezer bag and froze it for another day.)

 Get your skillet going, and add a touch of cooking oil of your choice. 

(If you choose to have meat in this dish, this is a good time to brown it up and set aside.  Saves dirtying up another skillet! Granny liked "Little Smokies" in hers. I usually use a summer sausage. This time I used *Three Cheese Chicken Sausage Links* from Aldi. I have made it with Italian sausage. I have made it with leftover chopped chicken. But it is just as good without meat.)

I seasoned this one with salt, pepper, and some smoked paprika. Other choices- whatever herbs you have on hand! Basil is wonderful. Maybe a couple sprigs of rosemary some time. Summer Savory is good.

Add the chopped veggies to the oil in the hot skillet. You really need very little oil, just enough to coat the skillet so the vegetables don't stick. Allow to cook, stirring from time to time to keep the vegetables cooking more evenly. You may want to cover this as it cooks.

Cook until your veggies are tender. I had a lid over this part of the time, so the captured heat and steam could cook things through without evaporating too much juice.  Add the cooked meat back in, if you wish.

 I served this over "Dirty Rice" (from a box.)  I usually just use plain cooked rice. If you have leftover rice from some other meal, just toss it in as the vegetables cook. Could be served over noodles, or sauteed shredded cabbage.

Gumbo

My daughter-in-law taught one of my boys to make his version of her wonderful gumbo. Then, my son moved away. I have tried to do my best imitation of her real Cajun Gumbo.

Gumbo

5 chicken thighs

1 lb. smoked sausage

1/2 to 1 lb. small cleaned, peeled shrimp

1 to 2 cups breaded okra, fried (My own touch!)

1 small onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, cleaned and chopped

1/2 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

2 tablespoons chicken "Better than Bullion" soup base

1+ teaspoon Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning

1/2 cup flour

1/4 + olive oil

sea salt to taste

Hot cooked rice

In a large pot, place the chicken thighs on to boil, fairly early in the day. (Or the day before serving.) Use about 2 quarts of water to start. Add the better than bullion chicken soup base, the tumeric, creole seasoning, and the sage. Cover.

Boil for an hour or more.

Saute the onion and celery in a small amount of oilve oil.

Add to the broth.

Turn off heat.

Remove chicken from broth.

Remove the skins from the thighs. Discard skin.

When the thighs are cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones. Discard bones.

Refrigerate meat.

Allow the broth to cool. I usually do this at room temperature for an hour or so, then in the refrigerator several more hours.

Skim as much fat from the broth as possible.

Once the fat is skimmed from the broth, return the chicken to the broth.

Reheat over low flame.

Add hot water as necessary to equal about 10 cups liquid.

Fry and drain your okra.

Add to the broth.

Prepare rice.

Slice the smoked sausage into fairly thin slices, 1/4" or so.

Saute until the sausage begins to brown.

Remove sausage from the frying pan with a slotted spoon .

Add the sausage to the broth.

Add the flour and 1/4 cup (more or less) olive oil to the frying pan.(You dont have to drain the sausage fat).

Add 1 teaspoon salt.

Make into a roux. Cook until very brown. (add more oil if necessary

Once the roux is dark brown and smooth, pour into the boiling broth.

Stir the roux into the broth.

Bring to a boil.

Allow to cook and thicken.

Five minutes before serving, add the cleaned, deveined shrimp to the boiling gumbo. Prepared crawfish may be added here, if desired.

Serve over rice.

Refrigerate leftovers.

Even better the next day!