Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1907-12-25
CHICKEN GUMBo.
The Vessels and the Recipe to uss In
Compromising II,

The Vessels and the Recipe 10 Use W
Compromising II,
! Even if man never took his eyes
of his soup plate he ought to know
of his location as soon as he goes
south of Mason and Dixon's line.
Any one with trace of sense could
tell it by the okra.
0kra is as common In the south
ss it is rare in the north. 1t is said
to be synonymous with gumbo,
though some authorities declare
that gumbo involves the presence OF
other items than merely okra AS
the latter appears in American seed
catalogues under at least fifty diff
ferent names, there seems to be
room for some confusion.
1t is said that okra came original
ly from Africa, and indeed it has
been proved that the Egyptians used
it long ago. Tons of it are grown
in Turkey and the northern part OF
Africa, and it is a staple article OF
food in the West Indies and Central
America.
In this country its principal use is
in making the various gumbo soups.
The pods not only give an agreeable
flavor, but a peculiar mucilaginous
consistency, which is highly priced
by those who like it.
Sometimes the young seeds are
cooked as a vegetable, as green peas
are. Sometimes they are boiled and
served with French dressing as sal
ad.
According to directions issued by
the department of agriculture, no
copper, brass or iron cooking yes
sci should be used in preparing
okra. The metal will discolor the
pods and even render them poison
Gus. Use only agate, porcelain or
earthen ware.
The New Orleans Picayune's cook
book gives the following recipe for
chicken gumbo: One chicken, one
onion, one-half pod of red pepper
without the seeds, two pints of okra,
or about fifty pods; two large slices
of ham, two large tomatoes, one bay
leaf, one sprig of thyme or parsley,
one tablespoonful each of lard and
butter, salt and cayenne to taste.
Clean and cut up the chicken.
Cut the ham into small squares or
dice and chop the onion, parsley and
thyme. Skin the tomatoes and chop
fine, saving the juice. Wash and
stem the okras and slice into thin
layers of one-half inch each.
Put the lard and butter into the
soup kettle and when hot add the
chicken and the ham. Cover close
ly and let it simmer for about ten
minutes. Then add the chopped
onions, parsley, thyme and toma-
toes, stirring frequently to prevent
scorching.
Then add the pkras and when
well Drowned add the juice Of the
tomatoes, which imparts a superior
flavor.
The okra is very delicate and is
liable to scorch if not stirred fire.
quently. For this reason many Gre
ole cooks fry the okras separately
in a frying pan, seasoning with the
pepper, cayenne and salt, and then
add them to the chicken. Equally
good results may be obtained with
less trouble by simply adding the
okra to the frying chicken and
watching constantly to prevent
scorching. The least taste Of a
scorch spoils the flavor of the gum
DO.
When well fried and Drowned add
about three quarts of boiling water
and set OH the back of the stove to
simmer for about an hour longer.
Serve hot with nicely boiled rice.
Round steak may be substituted for |
chicken, but it must be borne in
mind that the chicken gumbo is the |
best Observation-Disclosures Post.