Why do I feel so southern all of a sudden. Because this week our new vegetable of the week was ....OKRA! I can't even describe the trepidation I felt trying this vegetable. If you see one they look like amped up bean pods. You know not string beans but a bean that has been hittin' the weight room and crossed that muscle bound bean with a jalapeno. It has the exact same stem. But when you slice the vegetable, cut off the ends and then slice like a banana chip you get the cutest wagon wheel slices. To warn you though if you cut off the ends and look through the wheel shape - it almost looks like a mini corn is hiding inside the okra (I told you it is a vegetable that likes to bulk up - maybe because it does eat other veggies :) And when I say mini corn - please picture Tom Hanks nibbling on one at the fancy dinner in the movie Big! I say picture this scene because I did and it still makes me laugh 20+ years.
Before trying okra I knew three things. The South loves to fry okra. That it has a slimy quality. And if you want to make a good gumbo you really need this vegetable. This is what I know. This vegetable makes me feel Yankee (I did live in Minnesota for almost twenty years of my life!) I worked in a grocery store for seven years and I do not recall ever once a customer buying okra, seeing okra, nor anyone mentioning if we carried okra. And now around these parts it is a staple vegetable. OR at least seems that way - because now I see it and even know that it exists.
We ended up with okra because I sent my fabulous hubby to the store and he brought me home okra. That is a bit intimidating as this guy is from Louisiana and if you read the paragraph above gumbo was one of the three things I knew about okra. I double-checked that he didn't intend for me to make gumbo - that's one of those dishes that usually comes from a secret family recipe passed down from generation to generation - no written recipe but one you learn hands - on. You remember my family is from the Midwest/North - I did not learn how to make gumbo. I'm not saying I won't ever attempt it but I feel that is years into the future. So if we agreed gumbo wasn't the way to go and the whole purpose to try new veggies and fruits is an attempt to eat healthier I didn't really want to fry the okra; which between gumbo and deep frying it breaded wiped out at least eighty percent of the recipes we had to do some digging. Tip for okra recipe research - look for southern cookbooks. Don't look in vegetarian manuals, nor your commercial commodities - but a good ol' southern church cookbook is where we found several recipes. We even stumbled among one not deep fried or gumbo - smothered okra (I know you hear smothered and add the Southern adjective you are probably thinking gravy - but you would be wrong.....and disappointed like me :) Smothered in this recipe meant onions and tomatoes: which is an excellent combination.
So if two of my three bits of knowledge about okra are immediately discluded from my recipe (deep fried and gumbo) all I am left to deal with is - the slime factor. Who wants to eat a vegetable that is suppose to be slimy? I see slime on any of my produce it is time for that produce and I to part ways as I throw it away. Not okra! When I was growing up my mom did not have many house plants but she always seemed to have an aloe plant. You take the sticky slimy sap from the plant and place it on burns. I used the aloe plant quite a bit - I was a clutzy kid. And I have to tell you as my hubby and I started to slice our okra - flashbacks to the aloe plant kept popping in my head: especially, when I would have to scrape the vegetable and seeds off my knife as they would stick to the slime. Yuck!!!
But together my hubby and I were able to slice up our okra and ready to be smothered. We did use a little oil to "stir-fry". I think the heat helps to eliminate the slime factor; which is why you see okra fried or that it has time to cook down for a long time in a stew such as gumbo. The smothered approach was great as you cook okra with these big flavors - onions, garlic, and tomatoes. It isn't easy to describe okra. It had a good flavor - something like asparagus (which I really enjoy - especially for a "green" vegetable). It's not as earthy as you might imagine (especially if you compare okra to a bean or pea pod).
It was hard to get past the sliminess; but once cooked properly you completely forget that it did release quite a bit of sap. Okra is a tasty vegetable. It is packed with fabulous fiber and with lots of other nutritional boosts. I am now a true believer with Southern pride that will once again purchase this vegetable.
May your HealthFULL Journey not only test your boundaries but help you to face your fears and in turn make you stronger every single day. 'Til we meet again . . .
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