One of the definitions of gumbo is a
soup or stew thickened with okra pods.
I have this recipe for a plum gumbo from an old
preserving book that I love. I don't know why it is called a gumbo but it does say that: It is a unique flavoured recipe that is loosely
named after a creole gumbo soup due to its dark constitution.
It is sort of a
cross between a jam and a fruit cheese.
I love it on hot toast.
Ingredients:
2 kg plums
1 ½ kg sugar
250gr sultanas chopped finely
2 thin-skinned oranges
1 thin-skinned lemon
125gr small walnut pieces
Chop the sultanas in a food processor.
Peel the orange and lemon rind thinly
from the fruit without any white pith. I use a potato peeler.
Add the rinds to the processor and chop
the rinds finely.
Squeeze the juice from the orange and
lemon.
Put the ingredients from the
processor, the juice, plums and sugar into a preserving pan and bring to a simmer.
Simmer until thick and the plums are
cooked and soft.
At this stage you will be able to lift
out the stones.
Stir in the chopped walnuts and
continue simmering until it is very thick for another 10 minutes.
Pot into clean sterile jars and seal.
Hi, what cookbook did you find your plum gumbo recipe in? I found one in an 11th edition Fannie Farmer cookbook from 1965. I’m just wondering how far back this recipe goes.
ReplyDeleteHi, This recipe is from an old book I have. It is called The Preserving Book devised and edited by Caroline Mackinlay and Mike Ricketts. It was published in 1978 by Pan Books Ltd London, Great Britain. So your find is old than what I have
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother was making this in the 50s
ReplyDeleteI have a much-loved book called Home Preservation of Fruit and Vegetables, published in London in 1929 by the Ministry of Agriculture,Fisheries and Food. It contains a recipe for American Plum Gumbo. Síle from Ireland.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a treasure of a book.
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