Okra Creole

Unlike melons, okra is one tough vegetable. This old-time recipe is a great way to enjoy and truly, cooking the okra in tomatoes seems to cut down on the “slime” factor. But full disclosure – I love okra in any form, I never get the “it’s slimy” contingent, so can’t promise this still won’t seem “slimy” to the okraphobe.

By the way, perfectly fine to eat the little okra caps, as long as the okra is small and tender, like the ones we’ve been getting.

If you cooked and froze some of the corn bounty from earlier this year, then you’ve got a cup of frozen kernels perfect for this dish. If there’s no fresh, or your own fresh-frozen, corn available, it’s ok to use commercial frozen corn (the only frozen vegetable you’ll ever find at my house), or just skip it. Try adding a cup of diced squash instead. Or in addition to the other vegetables. It’s up to you.

Okra Rellenos

Yes, it will be a lot of trouble, but for those who don’t like okra, this might be worth it to use up that okra. You can adjust the size of the pepperjack sticks to the size of the okra you have. This recipe is adapted from one that appeared in Southern Living about a half dozen years ago. Pico de gallo is a combination of chopped tomato, onion and jalapeno, usually seasoned with cilantro and lime juice. You’ve got three out of five of those ingredients in your box.

Okra, Green Bean and Seafood Stew

This recipe for okra stew is adapted from one in Saveur magazine and is from Senegal. They credit it as a predecessor of Louisiana-style gumbo which makes sense to me, given how much of our Southern cuisine comes from African culture and the cooking of slaves. It takes a good while to cook, which is absolutely typical of West Africa food, but is well worth it. In Senegal, this would be made with eggplant, but I’m substituting the green beans from this week’s box.