Okra

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Summertime!

Pickles! That’s my solution for long-term storage. Pickled okra. Fresh okra will keep for a few days, but it’s really best within 2 or 3 days of picking. If it sits longer, it starts to get slimy and brown and then it’s just disgusting. If you’ve got a bounty of tomatoes at the same time, stew up a big pot of okra and tomatoes. Now you’ve got something you can freeze and use as a basis for vegetable soup or gumbo. Or to serve all by itself over rice as my family did for all the years I was growing up. Or add cubes of beef or pork or lamb to the thawed okra-tomato mixture and you’ve got a great stew. I’ve never had any luck freezing okra by itself – turns into a slimy mess. At least for me.

(2023) Okra and Tomato Stir-Fry

What to do with that bag of okra? This week I’m making Okra and Tomato Stir Fry, recipe below, from the new cookbook out by Natalie Keng. Love the homemade soy-ginger sauce recipe that’s a part of that. I still have little tomatoes from last week, but if I didn’t, I’d just chop up one of this week’s slicers.

From “Egg Rolls & Sweet Tea: Asian Inspired, Southern Style” by Natalie Keng.

(2022) Tempura Fried Okra

For the okra, I’m going to make Tempura Fried Okra using this recipe from The Cook’s Warehouse. Our bag of okra isn’t a pound, but that’s ok.

(2022) Warm Okra and Tomato Salad

And finally, a different salad – this one with okra because I still have some of last week’s box of cherry tomatoes. It’s a recipe from the Washington Post.

(2021) Summer Vegetables in Spiced Yogurt Sauce

This is also a recipe from the New York Times and totally adaptable for what is in this week’s box. You should swap out vegetables as you prefer. I’ve just been in the mood for Indian food, so this really appealed to me this week. We ran a recipe for Chicken Korma from Aroma Bistro in Roswell a week or two ago and testing that recipe just made me crave Indian spices.

(2020) Grilled Chicken Vegetable Kabobs

How about this recipe from Southern Living back in the day? I’ve got some pepper jelly that needs eating up. I’m going to make this over the weekend. And hope for okra again next week so I can do my cornmeal-okra thing then.

(2020) Aluma Farm’s Veggie Pickles

Love that the Aluma Farm recipe helps you understand how much brine to make, depending on how many pickles you’re putting up. Really helpful for those of us pickling on the fly.

(2018) Brunswick Salad

David Larkworthy demoed this recipe at the Morningside Farmers Market in 2010 and I still remember it every year when okra arrives in season. It looks a little complicated because it’s a riff on Brunswick stew, a mixture of lots of flavors, but it really goes together pretty quickly and will surprise anyone who thinks okra can only be served cooked.

Recipes for Brunswick Stew are some of the most frequent requests we get at the AJC. Here’s a delicious summer variation, adapted from a recipe Chef David Larkworthy of Five Seasons Brewery as demonstrated at the Morningside Farmers Market this July. The okra in this recipe is raw, and it’s delicious. But here’s a tip: don’t expect this salad to keep. The okra is fresh and crisp when first cut, but after a day in the refrigerator, it starts to exude that sap that makes it such a great thickener, and that’s not a texture you want in your Brunswick Salad.

Kahari Bhindi (Crispy Okra)

Published in the New York Times. This is the most delicious way you will ever serve okra. The chaat masala and chickpea flour can be found at any grocery that sells Indian foods and you’ll find many other uses for them.

Grilled Okra

Cannot remember where this simple idea came from – but it’s delicious.

Curried Okra

Mary Moore of Cook’s Warehouse demonstrated this recipe at a recent Morningside Farmers Market. I’ve made it twice now, using okra and squash, and then okra and eggplant. It’s an easy recipe to adapt to whatever vegetable is sitting there waiting for you.

Pork Sausage and Greens

Scott Serpas of Inman Park’s Serpas True Food demonstrated this recipe at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market as well. It’s going to use up your mustard greens and some of your okra. Truly, this dish goes together in about 10 minutes.

Stir Fry Okra and Tofu

This recipe from the fine folks at Moore Farms and Friends, and it’s given in their own words. (No peppers in this week’s box, but you could add some of those little tomatoes instead.)

Oven Roasted Okra

Not everyone welcomes okra the way I do. But this recipe from Freedom Farmers Market is easy and turns the okra crisp instead of slimy. A very simple way to use up the okra in today’s box. No thyme? Just skip it. What other fresh herbs do you have? Or have you been collecting, like I have, all these “new” smoked peppers like Urdu and Aleppo peppers? They’re easy to become addicted to – now I have to ration myself when I visit Savory Spice at the intersection of Virginia and Highland.

Okra Pilaf

Teri Watson shares this Southern comfort food recipe, a favorite at her house.

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.

Kaye’s Okra Fry Bread

Never thought I’d be sharing a recipe from Paula Deen, but this one is really good and will convert even those “I don’t eat okra” types. The recipe gives directions for cooking these little cakes in a skillet, but if you have a griddle, that’ll be even faster.

Curried Pickled Zucchini and/or Okra

Love this idea for a differently flavored pickle. Make it with the rounds of zucchini or the tiny little okra in today’s box, or both! The original idea came from seriouseats.com.

Fried Okra with Spicy Red Pepper Sauce

Does everyone know how to roast peppers? A quick way for just a few peppers is to do them right on the burners of your stove (if your stove is gas, of course). Just crank up the burner and put the peppers right on the grate. Turn them (with tongs!) as they char and blister. When most of the pepper has blackened, drop it into a paper bag and close the top. The peppers will steam and when they’re cool enough to handle, you can easily remove the skins. And the bonus is that your house smells like roasting peppers – yum.

Don’t have any smoked paprika in the pantry? Well, get some. It’s an amazing seasoning. In the meantime, regular paprika will do, or just skip it for today. You can find it at most grocery stores.

Sesame Okra

Last week, Mary Moore of Cook’s Warehouse, demonstrated two okra recipes at the Morningside Farmers Market. So glad to share them with you here.

Turkish Chicken and Okra Casserole

This recipe comes from Andrew Scrivani by way of The New York Times in September 2011. It’s adapted from Ghillie Basan’s recipe in “Classic Turkish Cooking.” Smoked paprika makes its first of three appearances today.

Okra Soup

This Charleston recipe appeared in the May 2011 issue of Saveur. I could eat it by the gallon.

Bloody Mary Mix with Pickled Okra

I am so excited that we have all the makings of this recipe from our box this week. I was afraid I’d have to save this recipe for next year, but the tomatoes are back! This recipe is adapted from one demonstrated by Atlanta mixologist Lara Creasy at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market.

Sautéed Okra

Here’s an idea for your okra. It’s a recipe offered by Steven Satterfield of Miller Union last summer in a chef demo at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Like most of Satterfield’s recipes, it’s simple and it’s delicious.

Satterfield calls for the tomato to be peeled. You can use a paring knife to peel a tomato, or try his technique if you don’t mind boiling water to do the job: In a small pot or medium sized saucepan, bring some water to a boil. Place the tomato into the boiling water for approximately 60 seconds or until the skin bursts. Remove the tomato immediately and plunge into ice water. Peel the skin off then trim and dice into medium sized pieces.

Okra Stew

And finally, an idea for your okra. It comes from Mark Bittman, also of the New York Times, and he says: “If you like okra, which is in season now, you’ll probably like this recipe for okra stew, because, well, it’s okra. If you hate okra, you’ll also probably like this recipe for okra stew, because the okra practically disappears.”

Pickled Peppers and Okra

It seems that many people in the Riverview CSA are into canning and pickling. I found this recipe idea from the Food Network’s “Big Daddy’s House” an intriguing way to use jalapenos and okra in one fell swoop. The original directions were a little confusing, so I’ve modified them here. The idea seemed worth sharing, especially if you’re a household that uses pickled jalapenos.The quantities of jalapenos and okra called for here may not match what you got in your box, but I think you could add in some of the green peppers as well to make a total of 1 1/2 pounds of vegetables (in addition to the carrots and onion).

notes about okra

A note about your okra. There’s been lots of conversation about okra recently, especially with the bounty Suzanne was offering last weekend. Fried okra is great, but don’t think of it as a side dish alone. I loved these suggestions from the July issue of Southern Living.

Pickled Okra by Steven Satterfield of Miller Union

I’m delighted each week with the little bag of okra. I’m the only one in my house who likes okra, and I am glad to have it all to myself. But there was one year I grew a row in my garden, and each week harvested six pounds of okra. For weeks and weeks … six pounds of okra, every week. At that time there were three of us at home who liked okra, but even so, after a week or two, nobody really wanted okra with every meal and we needed an alternative. And so we made okra pickles. JCT Kitchen’s Ford Fry will be demoing okra pickles with Bloody Marys this weekend at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Yum.

Here’s a recipe that Steven Satterfield of Miller Union gave out earlier. Your little bag of okra is probably just enough for this recipe. You can make these pickles and just keep them in the refrigerator, or for shelf life, carefully boil the jars and lids and then process the pickles in boiling water for 10 minutes before storing in a cool place. Properly processed, they’ll keep for about a year.

Skillet Roasted Okra with Eastern Spices and Lime

If you want your okra cooked, here’s a recipe from Gerry Klaskala of Aria, demonstrated at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market in July. You can skip the mango powder, or find it at an Indian grocery. Leftover spice mix will work on all kinds of other vegetables or meats.