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 My quest, Okra

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Betty Fasig
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Betty Fasig


Number of posts : 4334
Registration date : 2008-06-12
Age : 81
Location : Duette, Florida

My quest, Okra Empty
PostSubject: My quest, Okra   My quest, Okra EmptyFri Jul 08, 2011 3:29 pm

Here in Florida, people like okra. It is a slimey, tasteless vegetable that was brought here from Africa and is famous in Louisiana and in cajun cuisine. (my opinion)

I have tried all the standard recipes and it amounts to eating the crusty fried doughy mix that is put on to soak up the slime if you have it fried, and using tomatoes or some other acid to cut through the slime if you have it canned or (god forbid) boiled.

My David loves the stuff. He has planted it willy-nilly out there with the corn. It is not in me to just ignore food. I must try, try, try to make it edible, preserve it or give it away.

I have oven blanched it and coated it with cornmeal, whole and sliced. I have deep fried it whole, concocoted many seasonings and slime soakers.

Today, I thought about all that slime, what it was good for. So, I sliced it like one would slice celery for a stir fry...about a half and inch thick and two inches long. I put it in a big bowl, beat up a couple of eggs, stirred it all well with the okra. Then I put in some fish fry, some cornflake crumbs, stirred it and let it set. It got even slimy -er.

I fried it in very hot oil. It looks good, David is snacking.

Love,
Betty
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dkchristi
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dkchristi


Number of posts : 8594
Registration date : 2008-12-29
Location : Florida

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PostSubject: Re: My quest, Okra   My quest, Okra EmptyFri Jul 08, 2011 4:16 pm

I wish I could remember - I saw on tv once how to cook it without slime. I love it too - without slime.
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alj
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alj


Number of posts : 9633
Registration date : 2008-12-05
Age : 80
Location : San Antonio

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PostSubject: Re: My quest, Okra   My quest, Okra EmptyFri Jul 08, 2011 7:09 pm

Betty, try cutting it in 1/2 inch slices and sauteing it in a little oil until the gooey strings go away. Well, they probably won't completely go away, but most of them will. It's fine if the okra browns while you "destring" it. It improves the flavor. Add a bit more oil if you need to, and add some diced onion, and continue sauteing until the onion is translucent. A little caramelization won't hurt, so long as the okra isn't getting too dark. Then add some whole canned tomatoes. If you have any that you put up yourself, that would be even better, but a good canned tomato is great. Or, if you have some fresh plum-sized ones, you can roast them until the skins split, remove the skins and add them like you would the canned ones. Add a little salt and pepper and simmer til the flavors blend a little.

This is the way my mother learned to cook them from her mother, and her mother and so on.

By the time the onions and tomatoes have cooked in, the last of the gooey stringy thingies should be gone.

Have you ever pickled them? Don't have a recipe for that, but do love to eat them that way, too.

Did you know that the roux for creole gumbo (that's New Orleans style for those who might not know) is made from okra that has been sliced and sauteed for several hours until it becomes a brown paste? It will thicken and flavor the base without adding any flour. This is something else I've never personally tried, because I like to make a dry roux of browned flour with no added oil - the Cajun way, but my Mom's housekeeper swore by it.

Ann
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alj
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alj


Number of posts : 9633
Registration date : 2008-12-05
Age : 80
Location : San Antonio

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PostSubject: Re: My quest, Okra   My quest, Okra EmptyFri Jul 08, 2011 7:10 pm

Oh, and if you have one, cook it in a cast iron dutch oven.

Ann
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Betty Fasig
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Betty Fasig


Number of posts : 4334
Registration date : 2008-06-12
Age : 81
Location : Duette, Florida

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PostSubject: Re: My quest, Okra   My quest, Okra EmptyFri Jul 15, 2011 3:23 pm

Dear Ann and DK,
I tried it all. I have taken a stand. We have enough okra frozen and canned to last through a long depression. We have enough pinto beans, black-eyed peas, tomatoes, salsa, jalapenos, green beans, squash, beets, peppers (hot or not) corn and combinations of all to last two years.

I have turned off the water and the fertilizer. I will take it all out of the stacks, spray roundup and cover each stack with a big plastic bag to solarize the media. I need some time to do some sewing, some writing and something other than growing and harvesting and preserving.

Thank you all for the recipes, the ideas, the support and the love.

Tomorrow is a new day.

Love,
Betty
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alj
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alj


Number of posts : 9633
Registration date : 2008-12-05
Age : 80
Location : San Antonio

My quest, Okra Empty
PostSubject: Re: My quest, Okra   My quest, Okra EmptyFri Jul 15, 2011 3:50 pm

Time to "lay by," as my grandparents used to say. You have really earned it. Look after yourself.

Ann
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