Vegan Gumbo Carmo Chef: Dana Honn

Café Carmo’s tropical version of vegan gumbo celebrates its West African and Caribbean roots. It is gluten and soy-free.

Serves 12 1 large onion, chopped 1 bell pepper, chopped 1 poblano pepper, roasted and diced 2 medium tomatoes, roasted 4 bay leaves (fresh if possible) 1 cup smoked young jackfruit 4 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon minced ginger 1 teaspoon "dende" (virgin red palm oil) 4 large sweet potatoes, 1/2 inch diced 4 cups fresh or frozen okra 2 tablespoon tamarind paste 1 cup dried or fresh black-eyed peas 12 cups vegetable stock 3 tablespoon rice bran oil (or other high quality cooking oil) 2+ tablespoon Creole Seasoning 2 tablespoon masa flour for thickening (optional) Salt to taste Long grain rice Scallions for garnish

Soak black-eyed peas overnight. Smoke young jackfruit over a mild wood (like apple or cherry) for approx. 10-15 min.

In a large cast-iron pot, sauté jackfruit with 1 tablespoon of oil until it separates (it’ll look something like crab). Add onions and bell peppers and an additional 2 tablespoons of oil and brown on high heat for approx. 15 minutes. Add garlic and 2 tablespoon Creole seasoning and sauté for another 3-5 minutes, then add okra, roasted tomatoes and poblanos, 1 teaspoon salt, ginger, tamarind paste and dende.

Cook for an additional 5 min. then add vegetable stock, black-eyed peas, bay leaves and sweet potatoes. Cover pan with a lid and bring to a boil, then diminish to medium heat and cook until black-eyed peas become tender (apx. 60 min). Add an additional pinch of Creole seasoning and salt to taste.

To thicken, you can use a spoon or potato masher to smash the black-eyed peas and sweet potatoes against the side or bottom of the pot. If your gumbo isn’t thickening to your liking, you can add a slurry made with masa flour and broth and bring gumbo to a boil. Serve with a tablespoon of rice and top with scallions.