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File Powder

jglass

jglass

New member
Being a foodie living in the country can make it hard to find spices.
I have a couple different recipes for gumbo I want to try soon so I need file powder. Of course no one in town has it and I called ever grocery store in Ashland with no luck. Guess Im gonna have to order it online. :mad:
 
Maybe if you're real nice MrsJimmyP could hook ya' up with some, she lives in Cajun country and it is in all the stores down there!

My only problem was my gumbo was always so good I'd forget to use it, you really do not need it!!! My bottle went unused for yrs. once in a while I'd remember:eek: So I threw it out!
 
Yeah the recipe says to use it to finish for flavor. I have never made gumbo before and Id like to have the file before I try it. I wouldnt want to bother MrsJimmyP lol.
A friend of Jons is always in Lexington to visit his daughter on the weekends. Im gonna look for a place there to have him pick it up for me maybe.
 
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Janie, just make your own. All it is is dried, powdered sassafras leaves.

Although file does add some flavor, it's real use is as a thickener. You use either okra, cooked with the gumbo, or file powder added individually to each bowl. A little goes a long way. In a large soup bowl of gumbo, at most a tablespoon of the file.

Another trick. Most people pour their gumbo over rice. But real cajuns do it in reverse. The gumbo goes into the bowl, and then a scoop of rice plunked down in the middle.
 
KYHeirloomer said:
Janie, just make your own. All it is is dried, powdered sassafras leaves.

Another trick. Most people pour their gumbo over rice. But real cajuns do it in reverse. The gumbo goes into the bowl, and then a scoop of rice plunked down in the middle.
Click to expand...


Yes indeed this is correct! The reason for the gumbo in bowl first is you don't wind up with more rice than gumbo:p and gumbo is sooooo good who'd wanna ruin it with a whole load o' rice?
 
I asked when I called and none of the places around here had the sassafras leaves either. I had to spell it for them over the phone lol.
I read arrowroot is a common thickening agent but I wanted to have the file for the flavor aspect. I can get arrowroot here in town. I need it for a recipe called Gumbo Z'Herbs from the last book I got. Its all Kevin's fault...he told me about the dang book!
 
remember that when using file/file powder - use it just prior to serving, rather than during the cooking process, as it turns stringy if cooked.
 
Arrowroot is not a substitute for file, Janie.

Arrowroot is a starch, and is used like cornstarch. I prefer it for thickening fruity dishes, because the resulting gel is clearer.
 
I knew it wasnt a sub for file powder. I wasnt clear. I just meant if I was using the file to thicken I could use okra or even arrowroot which I can get here in town. I want the file for the flavor aspect. The book mentions you should only add the file after the gumbo has been removed from the heat.
 
>none of the places around here had the sassafras leaves either...<

I've never seen anyone sell sassafras leaves, Janie.

The idea is to gather your own. The Daniel Boone, and most state parks (i.e., Carter Caves) are covered up with it.

It's easy to recognize, if you don't know how. It's the only herbacious shrub that has three leaf forms. One is like a bamboo fan shape, that is rounded at the stem end, but coming to a point. The second is like a mitten; with the thumb by itself, and the other fingers in one compartment. And the third combines the two, with a rounded-point surrounded by two other fingers.

Any field guide will show it to you. And once you see it you cannot mistake anything else for it.

If there is any doubt, just rub a leaf between your hands and smell. It'll be just like root beer---for which sassafras is a major ingredient.
 
I found some while I was out today.
It looks just like this.
iwhjir.jpg
 
Thanks so much for the tip Brook.
I mentioned to Jons Dad about needing it and he even had some growing close to his place he gathered for me.
So I just dry this and then grind it into powder?
 
Yeah there was some at his Dads and I found some up at the house his Dad grew up in. So I have a nice amount to dry. It does smell good. Jons Dad was telling me about his Dad making tea from the roots.
 
Good job, Janie. And good photo. I guess my verbal description was pretty close. :)

Depending on how you harvested the leaves there are two ways to dry.

If you picked the leaves individually, lay them out on screening or hardware cloth in a warm place, but not in direct sunlight. As they dry, turn them periodically.

If they're still attached to branches, bundle the branches and tie them together. Don't over do it. Take a paper sack from the grocery and cut a small hole centered in the bottom. Pass the string you used to tie the bundles up through the hole so you can pull the bundles inside the bag. Then hang it. Again, warm but not in direct sunlight.

When the leaves are crispy dry pulverize them in a blender, food processor, or spice mill. Ideally, if you have the time and inclination, a mortar and pestle. You want them actually powdering to use as file.

If you rub the leaves you'll really get to appreciate their smell. Very much like root beer, because the sassafras roots are a major component of that drink.

Sasafras tea is an old-time drink, very popular with mountain folk. Because it's a mild diuretic and detoxifier, it is particulaly popular as a spring tonic.
 
Here is what I came out with.
24o3y51.jpg


I dried the leaves in my food dehydrator and then I ground them to a powder in my mini chopper.
Thanks for all your help.
 
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