Viral Gumbo Greens-REVIEW and Recipe

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This is NOT my typical gumbo.  If you know me or have followed me on social media, seafood gumbo is my jam.  This particular gumbo had been all over my Instagram explore page and my first thoughts were “People just mix anything together.” Lol. However, I am starting this new habit of trying out viral recipes and reviewing them. Well, let me just say, I was pleasantly surprised! This gumbo has an amazing flavor and surprisingly the collard greens were a nice addition to the flavor from the smoked turkey wings.  The last thing that blew my mind about this entire experience is when I googled “gumbo greens” and learned of its Louisiana (New Orleans) roots.  Please google it when you have time.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.  Please be sure to check out the Instagram reel here.  They are probably still arguing in the comments as you’re reading this haha.
Ingredients
 
Roux
1 cups of flour
½ cup and 2 tbs of corn oil
 
2 yellow onions, diced finely
½ red onion, diced finely
3 bell peppers (orange, red and green), diced finely
1 fresh jalapeño, diced finely
2 tbs of minced garlic
2 lbs of smoked sausage or andouille, chopped
2 bundles of collard greens, cleaned and picked from stem
2 lbs of smoked turkey wings
Black Pepper, to taste
Smoked Paprika, to taste
Slap Your Mama Creole Seasoning, to taste
Badia Complete Seasoning, to taste
Oregano, to taste
Crushed Red Pepper, to taste
Garlic Powder, to taste
Onion Power, to taste
Culture Creole Seasoning, to taste
4-6 cups of chicken stock
2 lbs of shrimp, peeled and deveined
 
Directions
Notes: After you chop the sausage, bake or boil them to get the grease out.  You can do this first and let it boil or bake while making the roux.
Make the Roux
1. Using a heavy bottomed 6-quart pot, turn your stove to medium-high heat and add the corn oil to the pot. Let the oil heat for a minute or two.
2.  Add the flour and stir continuously to blend the flour and oil together.
3.  Continue to stir until the roux begins to darken.
4. Once it starts to darken, turn the heat down between low and medium. Be careful not to burn the roux.  Do not turn the fire too high.  This is a process that requires patience. It will seem like it’s not turning brown but keep stirring.  It is a very gradual change.  Keep your heat between low and medium.
6.  Once the roux has reached the desired level of darkness (I like mine to be a rich chocolate, brown), you will stop it from cooking by adding the chopped raw seasonings (minus the garlic).
Putting the Gumbo Together
7.  Now that you have added the raw seasonings to the roux, sauté them about 3-4 minutes and then add the minced garlic.
8. Continue to sauté another minute or so.
9. Season the roux with dry seasonings.  Be mindful of using too much of salt-containing seasonings as the sausage and smoked turkey wings have some salt.  You can always add more at the end.
10. Stir in the chicken stock until it is completely blended with the roux.
Optional: Add a tbs or so of kitchen bouquet if you would like the gumbo to be even darker.
11. Add in the turkey wings and allow the gumbo to come to a boil.
12. Once it comes to a boil, add the greens in and stir it well.
13. Add another cup or two of chicken stock.  This really depends on how thin or thick you like your gumbo to be.
14. When the greens start to soften, stir in the sausage.  I taste my gumbo at this point and add additional dry seasonings, if necessary.
15. Allow this to simmer about an hour.
16. The turkey wings should start to become tender enough to debone them.  I used kitchen shears and/or a knife.  Discard the bones.
10.  Finally, stir in your lightly seasoned shrimp and cover the pot.
11.  Allow the gumbo to continue to simmer until the shrimp are fully cooked.
12.  Serve the gumbo alone or over rice, if you choose.