Okra is like eggplant—either you love it, or you don't. I love okra. (I love eggplant, too, but for all you okra avoiders, I hated kale before I joined the CSA. Now I eat it all the time and I like it very much too. So, you could change your tune!)Anyway, I've been eating okra all my life, and yes it's hairy, and slimy after you eat it, and apparently in other parts of the world it is called "lady fingers." All things that make it sound more like a prop in a horror movie than a tasty ingredient in stews, gumbos, and jambalaya. I like it that way, or just steamed with tomatoes as Smothered Okra.
It's also tasty fried, though I don't think it's particularly good for you that way, and I'm not a dab hand at deep frying, so I usually eat this when I'm at a BBQ joint. So, how do you like your okra? Do you like your okra at all? If you don't, just put it on the share table—the okra lovers among us will be happy to take it off your hands!
This year I'm growing Burgundy Okra (in the front yard!). It's really beautiful with its red stems and red pods. Perhaps I'm imagining, but it seems to be more tender and less slimy than the regular green okra. Or maybe I've just been on top of harvesting the pods when they're no longer than my index finger. I've been preparing them sauteed with peppers, onions, garlic, protein choice of the day, tomatoes, and a little cajun spice mix I picked up from the Ball 'Complete Book of Home Preserving' (which I prepared in bulk to be ready on demand): 1 teaspoon each chili powder and paprika, half teaspoon thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder. Very satisfying and sans slime!
ReplyDeleteI think small pods are less slimy as well as more tender, too. I haven't seen Burgundy Okra, but it sounds lovely! And I'm glad that there are fellow okra lovers out there, too.
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