Mumbo Jumbo Gumbo

My best friend is a Cajun...I know how to make a respectable Gumbo...this is not it!

OK...you're standing in front of the fridge...the family is hungry...at first glance the chilly landscape behind the thermal door looks bleak. Wait...what's that...left over steamed broccoli?...a package of chicken thighs that really should be cooked...frozen peas. My god...is that a bit of Kimchi from the Asian market...

And let's see what the pantry has to offer...a can of coconut milk (a staple in our house), a couple of onions, a few cloves of garlic and a lonely jar of Trader Joes Green Curry Sauce.

Sounds like the makings for Mumbo Jumbo Gumbo! The only prerequisites for this nosh is that it is never the same twice, is totally spontaneous and utilizes at least 3 refugee items from your fridge. It should end up in some sort of stewy form and ideally is good over rice (like what is not...OK...maybe Ice Cream).

Tonight it went like this: Browned the Chicken Thighs in Olive Oil...remove. Add the onions for 5 minutes of saute, add the garlic for a few more. Season with Salt and Pepper and a bit of Chinese 5 spice powder. Throw in the left over Kimchi and peas. Mix well and add the coconut milk and Trader Joes Green Curry Sauce. (Note...we don't have a Trader Joes anywhere near us in Syracuse...we are so fond of their pantry items that we often morph our road trips to hipper urban areas than ours...NYC...Boston...to make a stop and resupply our larder.)

Return the chicken and simmer the Mumbo Jumbo for 40 minutes or so. The chicken should be nice and tender. Cook some rice and as it nears completion, add the Broccoli to the Gumbo. Ladle some of your invention over the fresh rice and Viola...Mumbo Jumbo Gumbo version 1...now go make your own!