Okra and Eggplant
 

This is my first year growing okra (clemson spineless), and I absolutely love it. I just wanted to see how the folks here growing it, like it prepared.

I love the obvious dishes like fried okra and gumbo. I like to cut leftover corn from the cob and dice some okra and add it to stewed tomatoes. I also like to make a vegetable soup with a clear broth and crabmeat. We use tomatoes, okra, peppers, onions, corn, carrots and diced potato and maybe some zucchini if available.

I like okra allkindaway...fried, boiled, steamed, pretty much any way but raw. Here's a simple recipe you might not have heard of:

[U]Grilled Okra[/U]

Place a wooden skewer through each end of several okra pods, making a "ladder". One skewer through the stem end will work as well, but it is harder to flip.

Brush the pods with olive oil or italian salad dressing, then sprinkle on salt, pepper, or anything else you might like.

Place on a hot grill, about 3 minutes each side and you're ready to eat.

My favorite okra recipe is the okra popcorn my Mom used to make. Cut the okra in 1/2 inch thick slices. Dip in beaten egg, then roll in white cornmeal to which you have added a dab of flour & some salt/pepper. Fry in shallow oil (like green tomatoes), turning once. Drain on paper towels. Yum, yum!

BTW, okra tends to get slimy when it is boiled. Add it at the very last minute to soups/stews to avoid that.

I like okra raw, you can also stuff the pods with what ever and fry them.

The Asian Indians fry the pods with no corn meal until they are crispy.
If you are inclined you can sprinkle a little curry on afterwards

If you don't like the slime you can put about a tea spoon of vinegar in the water this will kill the slime.(I like the slime)

Gumbo is the African word for Okra and the soup made from it.

It is pronounced goom (as in goon) bo as in bow tie.
Jumbo is pronounced the same way.
It is the word for a large African bull elephant.

My African friend with a PHD thought they were selling elephant meat at the fast food joints.:lol:
With all of the jumbo fries and such.

The dried seeds can be ground to thicken soups and sauces.

It has been used to thicken ketchup.8)
More on okra and what to do with it later.

Worth.

All About Okra
 

[COLOR=blue][B][FONT='Comic Sans MS'][COLOR=#000000]All About Okra[/COLOR][/FONT][/B]

[B][FONT='Comic Sans MS'][COLOR=#000000]This Link will provide all kinds of helpful Information. You may want to mark it as a Favorite. Gary[/COLOR][/FONT][/B]

[CENTER][CENTER][CENTER][FONT='Comic Sans MS'][URL="http://www.physiology.wisc.edu/ravi/okra/#names"][B][COLOR=windowtext]Names[/COLOR][/B][/URL][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT='Comic Sans MS'][URL="http://www.physiology.wisc.edu/ravi/okra/#history"][B][COLOR=windowtext]History[/COLOR][/B][/URL][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT='Comic Sans MS'][URL="http://www.physiology.wisc.edu/ravi/okra/#plant"][B][COLOR=windowtext]Cultivation[/COLOR][/B][/URL][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT='Comic Sans MS'][URL="http://www.physiology.wisc.edu/ravi/okra/#freeze"][B][COLOR=windowtext]How to Freeze[/COLOR][/B][/URL][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT='Comic Sans MS'][URL="http://www.physiology.wisc.edu/ravi/okra/#nutrition"][B][COLOR=windowtext]Nutrition[/COLOR][/B][/URL][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT='Comic Sans MS'][URL="http://www.physiology.wisc.edu/ravi/okra/#recipes"][B][COLOR=windowtext]Recipes[/COLOR][/B][/URL][/FONT][/CENTER]
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[COLOR=black][FONT=Arial][URL="http://www.physiology.wisc.edu/ravi/okra/"][COLOR=#800080]www.physiology.wisc.edu/ravi/[B]okra[/B]/[/COLOR][/URL][/FONT][/COLOR]
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I found that site about 3 years ago.
It is one of the better ones.

Worth

Okra is the only vegetables from the garden my wife will eat. Over the years I've grown numerous varieties, such as [I]Burmese, Cow Horn, Jade, Cajun Jewel, Emerald, Thai, Star of David, Clemson Spineless, Stewart's Zeebest[/I], and [I]Burgundy[/I], and they usually do very well (although last year they began getting crowded out by nutgrass, which is becoming a real problem for me lately).

As for preparation methods, I like it simple - a little cornmeal, flour, salt & pepper, and fry it up - I could eat it every other day during the summer (and I usually have to, having planted so much!).

I'll also highly recommend the grilling method mentioned above. Makes a great, unique appetizer to lay on those who dislike the sliminess of okra.

I tried the okra and potato recipe from that site and it was very good. Grilled is what Im looking forward to next

Sauteed until golden brown
 

Pretty much the only way I cook the Okra is to slice it about a 1/4 inch thick and heat a skillet with about a TBSP of olive oil and a TBSP of butter and then sautee until golden brown and almost crispy and until all the slime is gone, then salt and pepper to taste. Make sue you serve it immediately, it is so much better hot right out of the pan.:D

I had a friend that could not get her kids to eat okra. She flattened the whole pods and battered and fried them and told the kids they were little fish. They loved them.

I prefer my okra fried but I stopped using cornmeal. It just seems to hold too much oil. Now I dip the whole pods in buttermilk and roll them in flour with onion and garlic powders, salt and pepper and corn starch then deep fry. They are not as greasy and are really good!

Warning - Okra explodes!

We tried the grilled okra the other night - fabulous flavor.

Just as we were going to pick up the grill lid, one of them must have had some juicy seeds and they exploded like popcorn. After our feet ended up back on the ground, we thought it was pretty funny. :lol:

[quote=RonnyWil;66553]

I prefer my okra fried but I stopped using cornmeal. It just seems to hold too much oil. Now I dip the whole pods in buttermilk and roll them in flour with onion and garlic powders, salt and pepper and corn starch then deep fry. They are not as greasy and are really good![/quote]

I will have to give that a try:)

Just tried the grilled okra. Awesome!!

Eggplant Recipes
 

[B]I'm going to try this recipe using zucchini instead of the eggplant.[/B]

[B]Moroccan Chicken with Eggplant Garbanzo Ragout [/B]

[B]1 Tbl plus 1 tsp evoo, divided[/B]
[B]1 tsp sherry vinegar[/B]
[B]2 tsps ground cumin[/B]
[B]1 tsp ground coriander[/B]
[B]1/2 tsp ground cinnamon[/B]
[B]Salt and pepper[/B]
[B]2 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts[/B]
[B]1 medium (about 8 ounces) eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes[/B]
[B]1/2 medium onion, chopped[/B]
[B]1 cup garbanzo beans + 1/4 cup liquid drained from can[/B]
[B]8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved[/B]
[B]2 tsps fresh lemon juice[/B]
[B]Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish [/B]

[B]Combine tsp of oil with vinegar, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in a glass dish. Add chicken breasts; turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for up to 6 hours. [/B]

[B]Heat remaining Tbl of oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook, 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Using tongs, transfer chicken to platter; tent with foil to keep warm. In same skillet, cook eggplant and onion 8 minutes, until soft and slightly browned, stirring often. Stir in garbanzo beans with liquid, tomatoes, and lemon [/B][B]juice. Cook 3 minutes, smashing tomatoes with a wooden spoon and stirring to blend flavors and warm through. Transfer to platter with chicken; garnish with parsley.[/B]