Fire Roasted Vegetarian Gumbo
This chile pepper gets its name from its origin. In Spanish, serrano is an adjective meaning “from the mountains” which is where it originated-in the mountains of Hildalgo, Mexico. The serrano is normally about twice as hot as Jalapeno (about 10,000 to 15,000 Scoville units). It is the second most popular chile pepper in Mexico. This chile is used mostly for salsas but can also be used in soups, sauces, chili or stews. Try these as a hotter substitute for Jalapeno.
Ingredients:
1 serrano pepper
1 banana pepper
1 small jalapeno pepper
1/4 cup canola oil, plus 2 Tbsp
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 green bell peppers, chopped
1 quart vegetable broth
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp file powder
1 cup fire-roasted tomatoes
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 parsnip, peeled and cubed
1 cup canned red beans, rinsed and drained1 cup canned black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen cut okra, thawed
Instructions:
Preheat oven to broil.
Arrange the serrano, banana, and jalapeno peppers on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Watch carefully and broil just until the skins blacken and blister, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the peppers and continue broiling until all sides are blackened. Remove the peppers from the oven and place in a sealed paper bag to steam. After 15 to 20 minutes, remove peppers from the bag and peel off the crispy black skin. Remove stems and seeds from the peppers, coarsely chop, and place in a bowl.
Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat until a pinch of flour sprinkled over the oil just begins to bubble. Whisk in the rest of the flour and cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture is well blended and dark brown, about 20 minutes. Once it becomes dark brown, remove the roux from the heat.
Place 2 Tbsp of canola oil into a deep soup pot and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is just about to smoke, stir in the celery with half of the onions and bell peppers. Cook and stir until the vegetables are tender and the onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Stir 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth into the pot. Cover, and simmer until almost all the liquid is evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes.
Into the cooked bell peppers and onions, stir the serrano, banana, and jalapeno peppers, along with the uncooked bell peppers and onions, garlic, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, and file powder. Stir the roux and 1 cup of stock into the vegetable mixture until the roux dissolves. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sweet potato, parsnip, red beans, black-eyed peas, okra, and remaining stock. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serves 8.
From allrecipes.com