seriously, I made some soup just sorta pulled the ingredients out of thin air and went to town
6qt crock pot full
1pound hot Italian sausage browned
2 pounds pork cubed up (not browned)
potatoes, a couple big russets
1 yellow, 1 orange bell pepper
a handful of whole garlic cloves
2 cans of Italian style canned tomatoes
salt, oregano, basil (pepper at the end)
chicken stock
rice around 1.5 cups
cook for 9 hours or so and eat
what is this if anything?
After I strain out the pieces of peppers & chunks (if any remain) of tomato, it sounds like what I want!
Zuppa Creolioe or Zuppa Gumbo
I always make soup that way. I just start adding whatever I have on hand, and it’s always good.
I call that “stone soup” or “garbage soup”, depending on my mood. Lots of people just throw together what they have, and it’s soup (or stew, depending on thickness)
I’m just hoping you were using a crockpot if you cooked the rice for nine hours. I find that it works much better if you cook the rice separately and pour the soup over it when you’re ready to eat. Same for pasta. It’s a WAY more pleasant texture.
yeah crock pot for sure.
I was wondering if that would fall under a gumbo kind of soup, it was good. the only change I would really make is to use sausage in casing instead of ground, the sausage pretty much falls apart after that long in the pot, that and maybe add a bit more as well.
In my opinion, it’s definitely not any kind of gumbo. Gumbo is traditionally thickened with either okra or file (dried sassafras) powder. A third, less popular type, is a roux-only thickened gumbo. The okra- and file- derived gumbos are often supported with roux, as well. Okra-based gumbo is generally more of a summer dish, and file-based gumbo a winter dish. The word “gumbo” itself most likely comes from a Bantu (African) dialect word meaning “okra.” (Although I have seen speculation that it comes from a native American dialect word meaning “sassafras.”)
Besides that most important point, pretty much all gumbos I know of start with the “holy Trinity” of peppers, celery, and onions. I don’t think anyone would mistake your soup/stew for a gumbo.
Notice I said, Zuppa Gumbo (Gumbo Soup) or Suppa Creole (Creole Soup). Suppa, as in the Italian vernacular.
No it ain’t gumbo, but it recalls some of the basic ingredients of gumbo in an Italian style, and the name would be more representative of its ingredients to an American audience. Or you could just call it minestrone, but I think that would alienate most people.
I’d just call it supper, and thank you for it. Might discreetly pick out chunks of tomato/pepper when you aren’t looking.
I’m not familiar with an Italian gumbo. (Although I wasn’t responding to your post, but rather Critical1’s). What is it?
Oh, you’re saying that no such soup really exists, but that’s what you would call it. Why would you associate it with gumbo or creole? It doesn’t have anything that strikes me as particularly gumbo-like or creole-influenced.
What is it? This is it. Not to be redundant, but see the OP… I guess that’s Gumbo Soup in an Italian style, or at least that’s what it feels like, IMHO. In Italy, it would just be Minestrone I suppose, since he tossed it together with what was on hand. If you were to brand it, you’d have a hard time convincing people that it’s minestrone because of the commercial standard that has been bred into homogenitywith the typical bean and macaroni soup that passes for standard in the US.
But with the Illustrious and many faceted culinary history of New Orleans, I’m sure there must be some Italian influences on Gumbo somewhere along the line.
Here ya go, found something…
And ironically, that gumbo recipe seems to be influenced by traditional Minestrone ingredients…
Yeah, that recipe has both a roux, and the holy trinity of vegetables that are part and parcel of Creole cooking. That looks like something I would call a gumbo or a creole dish. The soup in the OP does not. I’m just wondering what about it makes you want to call it a gumbo or creole dish.
As to answer the OP, I would just call it something straightforward, like Italian sausage soup (plenty of soups called that already.)
Well sure, if you want to put it into a search on the internet that’s probably the best. I was just tosssing around a unique and kind of whimsical name…especially if you want to sell it on a menu, write a cookbook, or just have fun with your nieces or nephews (Grandchildren, Son, Daughter). Give it a dramatic “that’s a spicy a meatball.” character.
You know how they say that you, “eat with your eyes”? I believe equally that you “taste with your ears”.
That’s fine, if I’m understanding the point (make it sound appetizing/interesting?), but if I saw something labeled with either of your names on the menu, I would expect something that is a melding of Italian and creole/gumbo traditions, based on the name. I’d be a bit disappointed when the dish comes and it has nothing at all to do with Creole cuisine/gumbo.
If it’s good enough for Campbells’ Soup (Chicken Gumbo), then it’s good enough for me. It’s a naming convention, sue me.
So tell me this… if he added just one extra ingredient to his recipe, specifically okra… Then would it be authentic enough in your (cook)book to be called an authentic gumbo? And if not, why not?
Dude…Critical1, your recipipe is awesome, by the way. Got off on a tangent, as I am wont.