This okra gumbo puts a vegetable-forward spin on the classic Southern dish. With the addition of matzoh balls (see Matzoh Balls recipe), it makes a perfect plate for Passover Seders.

Food historian Marcie Cohen Ferris serves as the inspiration behind these combined recipes. Her 2010 book “Matzoh Ball Gumbo” explores the food traditions of Southern Jews, including the influence of Black Southerners and Black women in particular. Not so much a fusion as an homage of flavors, this matzoh ball gumbo helps preserve those little-known food stories from the Deep South, and highlights the culinary traditions that extend across the African and Jewish diasporas. You can compare it to soup and dumplings from Jamaica, or omo tuo from Ghana. Make the matzoh balls first so they have time to rest while you prepare the gumbo.

The gumbo recipe calls for potato starch instead of flour, which requires additional stirring, but thickens into a nutty, golden-brown roux. Chicken broth and diced tomatoes lend the finished gumbo their umami, with a Creole spice blend that brings a subtle yet lingering heat.