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.
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