Pantry: Making okra easier to savor

At a farmers market last week, a woman standing next to me was buying a big bag of okra. A few days later, I saw a basketful at another farmers market. Not long after, I learned that What’s Up Farm of Santa Rosa is growing both green and red okra.

Okra seems to be vying for my attention, reminding me that it’s been more than a decade since I’ve written about it. It’s time to correct the omission.

In the United States, we think of okra as a southern food and, indeed, it is more popular there than in any other part of the country. It was introduced either by early French colonists or African slaves. Its exact origin is not known but it is used throughout Africa, the Middle East, India and Southeast Asia.

In general, people have a love-it-or-hate-it attitude about okra. If you grew up eating it, you likely love it. If, as a grown-up, the first okra you encountered was slimy, you may hate it.

The slime factor is a big hurdle, but proper cooking makes it a non-issue. Okra, like nopales cactus paddles, releases a mucilaginous liquid when it is cooked.

In traditional dishes such as gumbo this liquid helps thicken the dish, but when it is served as a side dish it can be a deal breaker. But there’s a very simple solution: Simply cook the okra in a dry pan and don’t add other ingredients until the liquid has evaporated, a technique I use all the time with nopales.

Okra tastes a bit like nopales cactus paddles, too, with a hint of asparagus and a whisper of long beans.

As you might suspect, okra is packed with nutrients, including vitamin C, calcium, magnesium and folacin. It is high in fiber, low in calories and, of course, contains neither fat nor cholesterol.

Two of today’s recipes feature okra with several other ingredients, which makes it easy to savor without being overwhelmed by it. Fried okra, okra curry and similar dishes in which okra is the primary ingredient are for later, once you’ve fallen in love with this underrated vegetable.

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This lovely fall soup, which is inspired by a traditional soup from Nigeria, is an excellent way to get to know okra, as the slime factor does not enter into the dish.

Nigerian Okra Soup

Serves 4 to 6

3 tablespoons peanut oil

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced

- Kosher salt

3 dozen okra, stemmed and thinly sliced

2 serranos or other hot chiles, minced

1 cup tomato concasse (see Note below)

4 to 5 cups chicken stock, hot

1½ cups cooked white rice

- Black pepper in a mill

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

- Bottled hot sauce

Heat the oil in a medium soup pot set over medium-low heat, add the onions and fry until soft, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in the okra and cook for 2 minutes. Add the serranos and tomatoes and season with salt.

Increase the heat to medium, add the rice and hot stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 12 to 15 minutes, until the okra is just tender.

Taste for salt, correct the seasoning, and add several generous turns of black pepper.

Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately, with bottled hot sauce alongside.

Note: Tomato concasse is simply fresh tomatoes that have been peeled, seeded, minced and drained of some of their liquid. You’ll need 4 to 6 large tomatoes for a cup.

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When whole okra is grilled, it does not release its liquid in the same way as it does when it is sliced and fried. To add sausage to the salad, see the variation at the end of the main recipe.

Fall Rice Salad with Grilled Okra and Corn

Serves 4 to 8

3 cups cooked rice of choice, warm

? cup freshly squeezed lime juice

½ teaspoon chipotle powder

½ teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika, preferably Spanish smoked

- Kosher salt

- Black pepper in a mill

12 to 14 okra

2 red onions, peeled

- Olive oil

3 Gypsy peppers

3 ears of corn, shucked

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or Italian parsley

Build a charcoal fire in an outdoor grill.

Put the rice into a wide shallow bowl, drizzle about 2 tablespoons of lime juice over it and add the chipotle powder, cumin and paprika. Season with salt and pepper, toss gently and set aside.

Thread okra onto two parallel wooden skewers, spearing the okra on each end and leaving at least an inch between each one. Set aside briefly.

If the onions are round, cut them into thick crosswise slices; cut torpedo onions in half lengthwise. brush them with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

When the fire is ready, set the onions on a grill rack and add the peppers alongside. Cook the onions until they are tender and evenly browned but not burned, about 15 to 20 minutes, turning them at least once. Transfer to a plate.

Sear the peppers until their skin is blistered; transfer to a bowl and cover with a tea towel.

Grill the corn, turning frequently, until it is evenly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a work surface.

Grill the okra skewers, turning once, until lightly and evenly marked, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Cut the onion into small dice and add it to the bowl with the rice.

Cut the corn from the cobs and add it to the bowl. Peel the peppers, remove the stems and seed cores, cut into medium julienne and add to the bowl. Cut the stem ends from the okra, slice each pod into 1/4-inch rounds and add to the bowl.

Toss the vegetables together.

Add the remaining lime juice, the olive oil and several turns of black pepper. Toss thoroughly. Taste the salad, correct for salt and pepper, cover and set aside for 30 minutes before serving.

Variation: With sausage: Fry or grill 1 pound sausage (I prefer Gypsy Girl Merguez), cool slightly, cut into ¼-inch thick rounds and toss with the rice and vegetables.

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Pickled okra is easy to make and easy to eat. Feel free to adapt this recipe to your own preferences, with fewer chil es, less garlic or more sugar.

Pickled Okra

Makes 2 pints, easily doubled

1 pound young okra pods

4 small thin fresh hot chiles of choice

4 whole garlic cloves, peeled

2 teaspoons coriander seed

2 teaspoons mustard seed

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

½ teaspoon cumin seed

2 cups apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Trim the stems of the okra pods to just ¼ inch. Wash them thoroughly; wash the chil es and trim their stems. Set aside.

Set 2 sterilized pint glass jars on your work surface. Put 2 garlic cloves into both jars and divide the coriander seed, mustard seed, peppercorns and cumin between them.

Pack the okra into the jars, add the chilies and set aside.

Pour the apple cider vinegar into a small saucepan, add 1 cup of water and stir in the salt and sugar. Set over low heat and stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Carefully taste the mixture and add more sugar if you prefer sweeter pickles.

Pour the liquid into the jars, leaving about a half inch at the top.

Add the lids and rings, set on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator and leave for two weeks before enjoying.

Michele Anna Jordan hosts “Mouthful” each Sunday at 7 p.m. on KRCB 90.9 & 91.1 FM. E-mail Jordan at michele@micheleannajordan.com. You’ll find her blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.