Oh, I’m for Okra
I know a lot of people don’t like okra, but this time of year, I’m buying it every week.
Believe it or not, a lot of the time I’ll just steam it for a few minutes and eat it with nothing but salt and pepper. The okra needs to be really fresh for this treatment, but it really is great.
If you don’t like plain vegetables, try adding a pat a butter.
Delicious!
Another favorite way to eat okra is stewed with tomatoes. Cooked with lots of onion in bacon grease, with a decent dose of hot sauce, this is okra heaven to me.
Here’s my recipe for okra and tomatoes:
Okra and Tomatoes
4 slices bacon
1 onion, finely chopped
1 pound small fresh okra, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped (peel if desired)
Salt to taste
Hot-pepper sauce or cayenne pepper to taste
Steamed rice (optional)
1. Place bacon in skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown. Remove with slotted spoon to a paper towel.
2. Add onion to bacon drippings and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in okra and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and let simmer until the okra is just soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Mixture should be moist but thick, not soupy. Check consistency occasionally during cooking. If mixture becomes dry, add a couple of tablespoons of water. If mixture seems soupy, raise heat slightly to evaporate excess liquid.
3. Taste for salt, and add if needed. Stir in a few drops of hot sauce. Serve hot, over rice if desired, with bacon crumbled over the top.
Makes 4 servings.
