With its hibiscus-like flower, okra is one of the prettiest, as well as most useful, hot-weather crops. For some of us, it’s also one of the most beloved.
Recently, my friend Joel Sellers, of Eunice, made me her smothered okra, simmered until the okra was cooked down to tiny green bits. She used smoked sausage from Eunice and fresh Gulf shrimp. I adored every bite.
As you may know, the word “gumbo” comes from the West African term “gombo,” meaning okra. Several soups from West Africa include okra, a native of the region that includes modern-day Senegal, Gambia, Ghana and Mali. Okra is popular in India as well, where it is called bhindi.
I grew up on fried okra, shaken with flour and cornmeal, still one of my favorite dishes. In recent years, though, I’ve been roasting it. This time, I used Nashville cookbook author Anne Byrn’s recipe for roasted okra with cherry tomatoes and thyme sprigs.
Okra patties were new to me, though they are an old-school side dish in many Southern households. I found my recipe on allrecipes.com, but I amped up the seasonings in my version. It’s just diced okra and onion, an egg, a bit of flour and cornmeal. We were delighted with this dish. The patties hold together well, attain quite the crispiness and reheat beautifully the next day in the toaster oven.
Smothered Okra with Shrimp and Sausage
Recipe with permission from Joel Sellers. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
1 pound okra, sliced ¼ to ½ inch thick
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped bell pepper
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
Oil to cover bottom of pan, 3 to 4 tablespoons
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Creole/Cajun seasoning (such as Tony Chachere’s)
½ pound smoked pork sausage, thinly sliced
3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes OR a 28-ounce can of tomatoes, whole or chopped
Louisiana hot sauce to taste
1 pound peeled medium shrimp
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup each chopped parsley and green onions for serving (optional)
Cooked white rice for serving
1. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet or large heavy bottomed pan. Add okra, onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic and seasonings (bay leaf, thyme, black pepper and Creole seasoning).
2. Fry over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Let the vegetables brown slightly. Cook until vegetables are reduced by at least one-third, and okra has browned in some spots, 30 to 45 minutes.
3. Brown sausage in a separate skillet. Add sausage and skillet drippings to okra mix.
4. Add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are cooked through and most liquid has evaporated, another 15 to 20 minutes. (If you are making this to freeze, mixture can be cooled and frozen at this time. Defrost and add shrimp later.)
5.Add shrimp and cook until shrimp is just done and pink through. Add salt and pepper to taste. The shrimp should add liquid to the okra mix. The mixture should be thick. If it’s too thick for your taste, thin it with a little water, stirring in a tablespoon or two at a time.
Serve over white rice, garnished with chopped parsley and green onions.
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Okra Patties
A cast-iron skillet is great to use here. Watch the bottoms of the patties for browning before you flip them. Add cayenne to the batter if you want. These are good with a little ranch dressing on the side. Makes 6 servings.
Cooking oil
1 pound raw okra
1 cup diced onion
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning or salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Black pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
½ cup water
1. Dice okra. Cut large pieces lengthwise into quarters, then dice. In a large bowl, combine okra, onion, Creole seasoning, garlic powder, black pepper, flour, cornmeal and baking powder.
2. In a measuring cup, whisk together egg and water. Add to okra mixture. Mix well.
3. Heat ¼-inch neutral oil over high heat in a large, heavy skillet. When hot, drop spoonfuls of batter into the skillet. Fry on each side until browned, 2-4 minutes per side. Remove to drain on paper towels. Keep warm if not serving right away.
Reheat leftovers in the oven or toaster oven.
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Anne Byrn's Roasted Okra and Tomatoes
Adapted from Southernkitchen.com. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
1 pound small to medium okra
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced onion (optional)
Creole seasoning
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
3 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 400 degrees.
2.Trim caps from okra. If small, leave whole, if medium to large, slice in half lengthwise or cut on the diagonal into two or three pieces. Place okra in a large mixing bowl with oil, onion if using, and Creole seasoning. Turn mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet and spread okra into one even layer.
3. Roast until okra just begins to turn brown around the edges, 7 to 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and thyme, if using. Continue to roast until okra is fully golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
Main dish salads are perfect for right now. A little chopping, a quick-cooking protein, and dinner is ready.
Who could have imagined a world with shortages of dry beans and yeast? Yeast, in particular, has been in short supply ever since the beginning…
August 13, 2020 at 08:00AM
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Judy Walker's Roux Believer: Ways with okra, a hot-weather Southern staple with lots of history - NOLA.com
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