Okra

[Khan]

I let my neighbor have a garden plot on my property in exchange for tending the rest of the garden/yard.

He planted something I did not recognize on one side, now I have identified it: okra.

Rather pretty blossoms.

Do you grow/eat okra?

[Notmuchlonger]

I like grilled okra. Having some tomorrow. Usually I wash it. Throw a bunch in a bag. Mix up some seasoning. Coat em with olive oil and season. Throw em on the grill for about 5 minutes turning them over once. Good stuff.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Slice it about 1/4" thin, lightly bread it with cornmeal, fry.

Or pickle it.

[REWahoo]

Boil it in a little salt and pepper. It slides right down...

[Sarah in SC]

Ugh, Khan do not listen to REW, he's lying! There is nothing more disgusting than boiled okra. Blech!
It is possible to make a gumbo with it, mixed with shrimp and other stuff that you'll have to find out from one of these Cajuns, like Want2Retire or Uncle, where the gross slimy stuff is cut to a minimum.
However, frying it is awesome. Slice and put in a paper back with flour and pepper and fry in a shallow pan. Yum!

It is a member of the hibiscus family, that is why the flowers are so beautiful. The pods should be picked when they are on the small side, as they are tough when bigger. The bigger ones can be dried and make pretty decorations.

[Khan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC Ugh, Khan do not listen to REW, he's lying! There is nothing more disgusting than boiled okra. Blech! It is possible to make a gumbo with it, mixed with shrimp and other stuff that you'll have to find out from one of these Cajuns, like Want2Retire or Uncle, where the gross slimy stuff is cut to a minimum. However, frying it is awesome. Slice and put in a paper back with flour and pepper and fry in a shallow pan. Yum! It is a member of the hibiscus family, that is why the flowers are so beautiful. The pods should be picked when they are on the small side, as they are tough when bigger. The bigger ones can be dried and make pretty decorations.

I was wondering about the pretty flowers.

[W2R]

Gumbo made with okra is the best. Yum! This is what okra was made for - - it is okra raised to its highest potential.

I don't much like okra just boiled on a plate by itself sitting in its own slime. Even though I normally don't like okra, I much prefer gumbo made with okra.

[Notmuchlonger]

Im pickling stuff tomorrow. Man Im going to do some of those okra I got. Okra,jalapenos,baby carrots and cauliflower. Damn made myself hungry.

[maddythebeagle]

We used to grow in Ohio but not much luck here in WI....great in Chilli....agree with CFB, fry with cornmeal is the best..

[haha]

Love okra, but it doesn't grow up here. I fry frozen okra, which is not quite the same.

Ha

[Htown Harry]

My votes for the Southern cooking hall of fame, vegetable division...

Third place: Fried green tomatoes

Second place: Okra, either in gumbo or battered and fried

Champion: Greens, cooked with a dash of vinegar and bunch of BACON!

[kumquat]

Okra, yeck! Only thing worse is a kumquat.

[MichaelB]

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1 pound tender young okra, washed
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons vegetable oil (preferably peanut or grape seed).

1. Stir flour and cornmeal together in small bowl, and set aside. Heat a clean, well-seasoned 9- or 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat 5 minutes. Heat oven to 200 degrees.

2. Trim stems and pointed ends from okra, and slice pods into 1/2-inch rounds, dropping rounds into fine-screen, footed colander. Spray lightly with water, shake to remove excess drops, and toss okra well with salt and pepper. Sprinkle coating mixture over okra, and toss in colander to coat evenly. Shake colander to remove excess coating.

3. Increase skillet heat to high. Add half the oil to skillet. Drop half the okra into skillet in single layer. Wait 5 seconds, and stir. Continue to fry and stir until okra is deep brown and crisp with spotty char marks, about 5 minutes. Transfer fried okra to sheet pan in warm oven. Using mitts, remove hot skillet from stove, and wipe clean with paper towels. Return hot skillet to burner over high heat. Add remaining oil, and fry remaining okra. Serve okra hot, with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, fluffy rice and fried chicken or pork chops, or as croutons in a green salad.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings as a side dish.

[MichaelB]

Adapted from Woodfire Grill, Atlanta

Time: 1 hour

3 tablespoons grape seed oil
1 large yellow onion, cutinto 1/4-inch dice
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 stalk celery,cut into 1/4-inch dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
1 1/4 poundstender young okra, washed and dried
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
2 cups diced tomatoes, plus 1/2 cup of their juices
1 cup white wine
3 to 4 cups shellfish broth or chicken broth
2 cups freshcorn, cut from 3 medium ears
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
1 pound andouille, sliced

24 large Savannah white shrimp or other large shrimp (16 to20 in a pound), peeled to last tail segment and deveined 8 cups cooked white rice.

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil inlarge Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots andcelery, and sauté, stirring frequently, until soft andgolden, 10 to 15 minutes. Add garlic, paprika and bay leaf, and sauté until fragrant, about 40 seconds.

2. While vegetables cook, heat 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cut okra into 1/2-inch rounds. Add remaining oil to skillet over medium heat, and then add okra. Sauté, tossing frequently, until okra has colored slightly, about 2 minutes. Turn okra into Dutch oven with sautéed vegetables. Sprinkle with salt. Stir tomatoes, wine and broth into vegetables. Bring to a simmer over mediumheat, and cook until okra is tender and has thickened stewslightly, 10 to 15 minutes (longer if you prefer a richer stew).

3. Stir in corn and thyme, and simmer until corn is tender, 5 minutes. Taste stew for seasoning. Keep hot, and set aside.

4. Heat large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add andouille, and sauté until brown, 2 minutes, turning once with tongs. Move andouille from skillet to stew base, leaving fat in skillet.

5. Dry shrimp well between paper towels. Sauté shrimp in skillet over high heat until pink, 2 to 3 minutes, turning once with tongs. Transfer shrimp to Dutch oven. Cover, and steep off the heat for 5 minutes. Ladle hot stew over cooked white rice.

6 servings.

[HFWR]

I don't watch Okra...

[poboy]

Okra and tomatoes. Cooked together slowly is one of my favorites.

[Sarah in SC]

Michael, those recipes are awesome! There goes the #$%^ diet again! Thanks for sharing!

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC Michael, those recipes are awesome! There goes the #$%^ diet again! Thanks for sharing!

It's my greatest pleasure and I do hope you enjoy

[MichaelB]

1 tablespoon bacon drippings, melted butter or olive oil
1tablespoon minced shallots or onion
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup hot chicken broth
5 medium plum tomatoes, peeled,
seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
1 to 2 tablespoons tomato juice
Coarse sea salt
1/8teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 pound tender young okra, washed
5 cups cooked white rice.

1. Heat drippings in medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, and sauté, stirring constantly, until softened slightly, about 40 seconds. Remove skillet from heat, add flour, and stir with wooden spoon until incorporated. Return skillet to heat, and cook mixture, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds.

2. Pour hot broth into skillet, and whisk until smooth. Reduce heat to low, and simmer sauce, stirring frequently, until almost a glaze. Add tomatoes to skillet, increase heat to medium, and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Cook until tomatoes soften slightly, adding juice if sauce seems too thick, about 5 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt, along with cayenne, thyme and heavy cream, and continue to simmer, whisking to incorporate cream. Taste for seasoning, remove from heat and keep warm.

3. Pour 1/3 cup water into large, deep skillet, and bring to simmer over high heat. Add okra and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover, and steam, shaking skillet frequently, until okra is bright green and tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Serve okra hot with tomato gravy and white rice. (Gravy may also be served with pork chops or roast chicken.)

4 to 6 servings.

[MichaelB]

Of course, my favorite way to eat okra is Bhindi Masala - an Indian dish. Never cooked it - never even tried. There's just too much enjoyment in going out to eat Indian food, and cooking it at home would be a letdown.

And reheating leftovers - that's just as tasty. Spending a night in the fridge does something good to leftover Indian.