Okra or Gumbo Soup

Ingredients

• an old fowl
• a quart of green okra
• a few slices of salt pork
• a little salt
• pepper
• a little sweet herbs
• an even teaspoon of powdered sassafras leaves
• Serve with boiled rice
• boiled onions
• rolls or bread

Method

1. 1

   Pluck, draw, singe, and wash the fowl; cut it in pieces, cover with cold water, boil, skim, and cook slowly.

2. 2

   Add salt if the fowl is young; simmer for an hour before adding salt if old.

3. 3

   Cook the remainder of the fowl to 'rags' with pepper, sweet herbs, cayenne, and sassafras leaves.

4. 4

   Strain and return to kettle.

5. 5

   Add salt pork if fowl was lean, wash and slice okra, add to soup, and cook until done.

6. 6

   Serve with boiled rice, boiled onions, and rolls or bread.

As published

This recipe was extracted from The household cook book (1902) by Smiley, James B[ethuel],, page 23. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

OKRA OR GUMBO SOUP.— The foundation for this should be stock, or broth made of a chicken, or, what is better even for any chicken soup, an old fowl. Carefully pluck, draw, singe and wash the fowl; cut it in pieces, cover with cold water, put on to boil up, skim, and then place the kettle where it will slowly cook. A little salt may be added if the fowl is young, but if old, simmer for an hour before adding the salt. When the fowl is done, take up the breast, thighs and legs, which can be served with a sauce for dinner, or made into salad; then slowly cook the remainder of the fowl to "rags," after adding pepper, a little sweet herbs, and a trifle of cayenne, and an even teaspoon of powdered sassafras leaves. Strain through the fine colander and return to the kettle. Add a few slices of salt pork, if the fowl was lean, then wash and slice a quart of green okra and add to the soup; cook until the pork and okra are done. Serve with boiled rice, boiled onions and rolls or bread

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.