Teri Watson shares this Southern comfort food recipe, a favorite at her house.
Okra Pilaf
Okra
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.
Roasted Okra, Tomatoes and Field Peas
Is there any chance you still have a tomato or two left over from last week’s box? This recipe is from Scott Peacock.
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.