Recipe - Gumbo Zherbes (Green Gumbo)

10 ounce Fresh spinach OR
10 ounce Package frozen leaf spinach
10 ounce Fresh mustard greens OR
10 ounce Pkg frozen mustard greens
10 ounce Fresh turnip greens OR
10 ounce Pkg frozen turnip greens
10 ounce Fresh collard greens OR
10 ounce Pkg frozen collard greens
One half Medium cabbage, shredded
2 Bay leaves, minced
1 teaspoon Dried leaf basil
1 teaspoon Dried leaf thyme
1 teaspoon Dried leaf oregano
One fourth teaspoon Ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon Ground cloves
One fourth teaspoon Fresh grated nutmeg
4 qt GOOD chicken stock
1 pound Lean boneless pork
1 pound Smoked ham
2/3 cup Vegetable oil
2 Lg onions, chopped
4 Celery stalks, chopped
1 Lg green bell pepper, chop
4 Lg garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoon Sugar
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Cayenne pepper
24 Shucked oysters with liquor*
12 Green onions, thinly cut or sliced up
One half cup Flatleaf parsley, minced
3 One half tablespoon File powder (approximately)
5 cup Hot cooked rice
SEASONING MIX:
One half teaspoon Salt
One half teaspoon Fresh ground black pepper
One half teaspoon Cayenne pepper
One half teaspoon Paprika
One half teaspoon Onion powder
One half teaspoon Garlic powder

*24 oysters equals about 2 pints.
Wash fresh greens; tear into small pieces. Remove large stalks and ribs.
(If using frozen greens, thaw and drain before proceeding). Place cleaned
or thawed greens, cabbage, bay leaves, basil, thyme, oregano, allspice,
cloves, and nutmeg into a large soup pot. Add stock and enough water to
cover greens by 3 inches. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover; simmer while
preparing remaining ingredients. Prepare Seasoning Mix. Cut pork and ham
into bitesize pieces. Add meats to Seasoning Mix. Shake to coat lightly.
Set seasoned meat aside while oil heats. Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet
over mediumhigh heat. When oil is very hot, add seasoned meat; stir until
brown on all sides. Remove browned meat with a slotted spoon; add to
simmering greens. Reduce heat to medium; add onions, celery, bell pepper,
and garlic to skillet. Cook until vegetables are wilted, about 5 minutes.
Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon; add to simmering greens. Stir in
sugar; simmer, uncovered for one hour. Season to taste with salt, black
pepper and cayenne. Cover; simmer 2 hours. About 10 minutes before serving,
GENTLY stir in oysters with their liquor, green onions, and parsley. Cook
until edges of oysters curl. Spoon about One half cup rice into each soup bowl.
Spoon gumbo over rice; top with a pinch of file powder. Makes 810
goodsized servings.
To prepare Seasoning Mix: Place all ingredients in a large plastic bag and
shake to combine.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini