When I am faced with an odd or strange looking food, I always remind myself that we eat okra. Many of us grew up eating okra and it is familiar to us. We forget it is an odd pod. Gooey and sticky with little rough skin. To many okra is an odd little thing and wonder how we eat it or even why we eat it. My father-in-law was forced to eat boiled okra as a kid and he still does not like okra in any form; pity, but probably understandable!
The most common way that okra is consumed is sliced and fried. I prefer the homemade version to the frozen okra. The frozen is still good, but in my opinion it has too much breading. I can remember the way my grandparents made okra. They would cut up the little pods, big pods are tough, put them in an old loaf bread bag with flour, salt and pepper. Then they would shake to coat the okra. The okra was then fried in an electric frying pan until it was very golden brown and crisp.
Now to me okra and creamed corn go together like peanut butter and chocolate or roast lamb and mint jelly. As a child I would pile up a mess of okra and then cover it with creamed corn. Creamed corn was a valued commodity in my childhood because I had to help stir the corn while it was cooking to keep it from burning. My arm still suffers from the hours and hours of stiring. OK, it was ten minutes and I whined so much they usually relieved me after about 2 minutes. I still remember it as being tough! Yet, what a result, golden goodness in creamed corn. To me Summertime is defined by fried okra, creamed corn and fresh tomatoes!
Okra can be pickled, I like that OK! It is a key component in homemade vegetable soup. There is gumbo and all sorts of New Orleans' creole or Louisiana's Cajun applications.
So I encourage while okra can still be found this summer, go get you a mess!
Good Eating!
The Hungry Preacher
The most common way that okra is consumed is sliced and fried. I prefer the homemade version to the frozen okra. The frozen is still good, but in my opinion it has too much breading. I can remember the way my grandparents made okra. They would cut up the little pods, big pods are tough, put them in an old loaf bread bag with flour, salt and pepper. Then they would shake to coat the okra. The okra was then fried in an electric frying pan until it was very golden brown and crisp.
Now to me okra and creamed corn go together like peanut butter and chocolate or roast lamb and mint jelly. As a child I would pile up a mess of okra and then cover it with creamed corn. Creamed corn was a valued commodity in my childhood because I had to help stir the corn while it was cooking to keep it from burning. My arm still suffers from the hours and hours of stiring. OK, it was ten minutes and I whined so much they usually relieved me after about 2 minutes. I still remember it as being tough! Yet, what a result, golden goodness in creamed corn. To me Summertime is defined by fried okra, creamed corn and fresh tomatoes!
Okra can be pickled, I like that OK! It is a key component in homemade vegetable soup. There is gumbo and all sorts of New Orleans' creole or Louisiana's Cajun applications.
So I encourage while okra can still be found this summer, go get you a mess!
Good Eating!
The Hungry Preacher
I still can't get Jim to eat okra. I've converted him to squash but okra is still a no-go.
ReplyDeleteWhen he starts giving me lip about it I'll tease him by saying "What's the best part of summer??" to which he's supposed to reply "OKRA!"
Steamed okra is delish too, with really good quality salt (grey french prefered). Tomatoes and okra... wonderful! Fried okra and creamed corn... oh man! Too bad our okra tanked this year :(
Ok! Important Lesson, do not write while watching children. Seems I left a few words out here and there. They are a joy but take a lot of attention.
ReplyDelete