It also works well in vegetable soups, meat stews and stir-fries, especially when paired with onions, red bell peppers and zucchini. Because okra gets along so well with corn, it makes a flavorful addition to succotash, corn chowder or creamy baked corn casseroles. Though there is much to love about fried okra and okra gumbo, there are many more delicious possibilities. Today gumbo refers primarily to the stew, which usually includes okra, as well as cooked meats or shellfish, and spicy Creole seasonings. The name "gumbo" is an African name for okra in fact, in New Orleans, the word "gumbo" used to refer to both the vegetable and the stew. Perhaps okra's most prominent role is in gumbo, the classic New Orleans Creole stew. To reduce its viscous quality, many home cooks add something acidic such as vinegar or tomatoes to the okra while it's cooking. Okra can be sauteed, boiled, roasted, baked, steamed and even grilled. Cooked okra tastes similar to green bell peppers, but earthier. Cut off tops and tails, and discard.Īlthough okra can be eaten raw in salads, most people prefer it cooked. When you're ready to cook the okra, rinse it well and pat dry. Place whole, unwashed okra in a plastic bag, or wrap in a paper towel, and store in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for up to three days. Avoid okra that is bruised, darkened or limp. The okra should be firm and sport a soft, peach-like fuzz. Smaller pods are prized for their tenderness, while larger pods are often considered too fibrous. When selecting okra, look for brightly colored green pods that are 2 to 4 inches long. In many parts of the world it is known as "lady's fingers" because of its shape, which resembles a delicate, tapered finger. When the spring semester started, I was assigned a new lunch period and, thankfully, this one was okra-free. Had the okra gone bad? Was it just a string of saliva? I was too polite to ask, so for the next three months, I averted my eyes each time she ate it. It was like a string of melted green mozzarella suspended in midair. As she raised it to her mouth, a long, white, elastic piece of - there is no other word for it - slime stretched from the container to her lips. When I asked her what she was eating, she laughed good-naturedly and said, "Honey, you really are a Yankee, aren't ya? It's okra." A co-worker had a Tupperware container full of boiled white rice and a mound of some dingy green, soggy vegetable that I could not identify. The meeting took place one warm September afternoon in the teachers' lunchroom. Having grown up in Rhode Island, I had never even seen okra until I moved to North Carolina in my mid-20s. I have a wonderful relationship with okra, but it didn't start out that way. Get recipes for Fried Okra, Creamy Okra Casserole, Okra And Stewed Tomatoes, and Cajun Gumbo.
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