Digging through my grandmother's old clippings I ran across a person from way in my past when I was growing up. She was the extension officer who supported our Bowling Green 4H club behind the old health unit near the old Franklinton swimming pool.
Seeing her picture in the yellowed pages brought back many memories of meetings and events in town. Darlene Jones was our Extension Home Economist who apparently had a column titled "Etc." I read her column about making turkey gumbo with the holiday leftovers. Here is a bit to share many decades later.
"Gumbo - Choctaw Indian's word for sassafras is Kombo from which we get the word gumbo. Leftover turkey from the holiday feast can be made into a gumbo to be enjoyed now or later. Gumbo freezes well, making it a good way to use leftover turkey without tiring of it following a holiday dinner. One precaution - if fresh oysters are to be added, do not do it before freezing. Add them afterwards.
Turkey Carcass File'
Use the turkey bones, bits of turkey meat and skin. Cook in Dutch oven or large kettle. Barely cover with water. Add an onion, sliced; a peeled clove of garlic; a few celery leaves; a little parsley or a bay leaf, if desired. Cover, bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours to extract all the flavor. Strain the broth. Use at once or cool quickly and keep in closed jar in refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. Retain bits of turkey meat in separate container.
Roux
Stove Top Roux - Make roux by heating ¼ cup oil in heavy pot. Stir in ½ cup flour. Brown slowly on top of stove stirring occasionally or cook in the oven. Oven Roux - For oven roux it is 1 part oil to 2 parts flour. Place in an iron pot or skillet in the oven wet at 375 degrees. Set timer and stir every 25 to 30 minutes and remove approximately 2 ½ hours later. This can be stored in jars in the refrigerator or given as gifts. Microwave Roux - ½ cup oil and 1/2/ cup flour. Mix oil and flour in a 4-cup measuring cup. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Stir and cook for 2 minutes longer. If the roux is not so dark as you like, continue cooking and stirring every 30 seconds until you are happy with your roux.
Gumbo Seasonings
1 bunch green onions, chopped, 1 large onion, chopped, 1 green pepper chopped, 3 ribs celery, chopped, 2 cloves garlic, minced. After vegetables are cooked limp add in smoked sausage and 6 cups of hot broth. Add extra turkey and simmer.
Toast Triangles
Cut crusts from bread. Cut each slice diagonally to form a triangle. Place in a250 degree oven on cookie sheet and bake for approximately on hour or until dry throughout. Serve garlic butter or cheese speared. These can be stored for several weeks. To make these as shells for filling cut into squares and press into tart pans for baking. "
This evening I had just put the last of our "left-over" turkey and sausage gumbo in our back porch freezer when I sat down in my office to dig through Grandma's left behind goodies. My pot had been made in the likeness to Clay's Aunt Billie Sue's traditional leftover turkey gumbo. There were so many little gems of information in this article I had to pass it on. Once again, as in my childhood, Ms. Darlene does not disappoint!
