Mexican Tomato Gumbo

This recipe is inspired by the Veggie Gumbo at Qdoba Mexican Eats. A generous ladleful of gumbo, topped off with your choice of green or red enchilada sauce/sour cream/grated cheese. It’s something that drew me back lunch after lunch after lunch.

It was the love child of a Mexican tortilla soup and Louisiana gumbo, chunkier than one, but much soupier than the other. Refreshingly light and summery, yet hardy and filling.

In my version, I’ve soaked well ripened, small diced, beef-steak tomatoes in a veggie stock to create that breezy feel. Underneath, I’ve used a smaller quantity of beans, garlic and cumin to impart a stew-like flavor. It’s all about proportions. Too much beans and cumin and it becomes a veggie chili. Too little and it’s a tomato soup.

Finally, let’s not forget the toppings. I drizzle the warm stew over Spanish or Cilantro-Lemon rice, and then garnish with a fresh pico de gallo, a giant dollop of sour cream, a smattering of grated Monterey Jack and crumbles of tortilla chips.

Assembling the Ingredients:

1 cup white onions, cut into a small dice

3-4 garlic cloves

2 ripened beef-steak tomatoes, cut into small dice (once cut, roughly 2 cups)

1/2 jalapeno, roughly chopped or 1/2 tbsp. Kashmiri red chili.

2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup canned pinto beans in mild sauce (its generally a garlic and cumin sauce)

1/2 tbsp. cumin

1/2 tbsp. tomato paste

3/4 cup canned tomato sauce

1/2 tbsp. dried oregano

1 tbsp. white pepper

2 cups veggie stock

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. cilantro

1/4 of a lemon

Firing Up the Stove:

1. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a pot for 2 mins on med. heat. Add the onions, garlic and bell pepper and sweat for 5 mins, until the onions are translucent.
2. Add 1/2 tbsp. cumin and 1/2 jalapeno/Kashmiri red chili and saute for 3 mins. If cumin sticks to bottom of pot, add 1 tbsp. water to prevent it from burning.
3. Add 2 cups chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste and cook for 2-4 mins till the tomatoes soften.
4. Pour two cups of stock into the pan and let simmer on med. heat for 10 mins.
5. Add tomato sauce, 1/2 more cup of broth and 1/2 tbsp. dried oregano. Simmer on med. heat for another 10 mins.
6. Add beans and 1 tsp. salt. Simmer for the last 10 mins.
7. Squeeze in a few drops of lemon and garnish with cilantro.
8. Taste and if necessary add salt.

Eating with Your Eyes:

Notes for Changes on the Fly:

1. If you can’t find canned beans in a mild garlic and cumin sauce, just get beans of your choice–pinto, black, kidney. Increase garlic used to 4 cloves and cumin to 1 tbsp. You still add garlic and cumin in the beginning so they cook out and flavor the gumbo throughout the cooking process.
2. If you are in a rush, and don’t have 45 mins. simply cook the garlic and cumin in oil for a few mins. and then add the rest of the ingredients at the same time and cook on med-high for 20 mins. Will still be delicious.
3. If you don’t have white pepper, use black but just 1/4-1/2 tsp.