Twenty-five oysters,
One tablespoon of file (gumbo powder),
One ounce of butter.
Cook for five minutes and then pour the gumbo into a tureen and add three tablespoons of finely chopped parsley. File, or gumbo powder, is made by the Choxtaw Indians from young sassafras leaves. The Indians gather the leaves, spread them upon the bark to dry and then grind them into a fine powder, put it through a fine sieve and then pack it into pouches or jars. It is sold in the French markets in New Orleans and in all high-class importing groceries. The Indians use the sassafras both medicinally and in cookery, and the Creoles quickly discovered this and appreciated it when making their famous gumbo or file.
VEGETABLE SOUP
One pint of stock, one cup of tomato pulp, made by scalding the peeling of tomatoes, or the canned tomatoes, may be used, and
One-half cup of diced potatoes,
One-half cup of mixed vegetables; cabbage, turnips and peas, may be added
One-half carrot cut in dice,