"REAL" Southern Okra

At Least "My" Southern Okra!

Isn't all Okra southern?

Yeh, probably!

There are many universally accepted health foods.
  

photo by: Michal Marcol

There are plenty of blogs out there who are preparing health foods everyday. I use many of their recipes and they are not only healthy but very tasty and visually appealing.

Okra is in season for us right now.

Steamed okra is health food!

Fried okra is NOT a health food.

 This is Comfort Food! 

When we get home with our purchase of crisp, fresh okra we immediately prepare the first one or two meals as steamed okra. 

Choose the smallest and very tender pods. Clean the pods and snip off the very tip of the stem, leaving the top of the pod intact.

Place the pods in a steamer and cook til "crisp tender". Better undercooked than overcooked. 

Serve immediately with lemon and/or butter. Some serve as an appetizer with a dip. However at that point is ceases to be health food.

Sometimes we just want comfort food!

What's left of the batch or mess (as we in the south call it) of okra is fried. 

There is a method to frying okra to achieve that crisp, nutty flavor and not end up with greasy mush.

After washing, cut the okra in small round slices. In a ziplock bag or lidded plastic contain add about one-half cup of cornmeal, salt and pepper to taste. Place the okra in batches to the cornmeal and shake until all is coated. You have to add a little more cornmeal. Be stingy with the cornmeal. You don't wanted it in the bottom of the fry pan.

When all the okra has been coated place all the coated okra, in the covered container, in the refrigerator. Let stand fifteen minutes to all day.

Place an iron skillet on medium /high heat. Cover the bottom of the pan with olive oil. When the oil is hot place okra into pan in small batches. Just enough to cover the bottom of the skillet NO MORE! Reduce heat to medium/low. 

I could have put more in this pan.

Let brown slowly, I can walk away and do other things. Turn to brown on all sides. We like a, little past, golden brown as that increases the nutty like flavor.

Ah! That's looking good.

Remove browned okra to paper towels while you cook the next batch. Follow the same process, getting the olive oil hot then reducing to medium/low. For Bob and I, I cook in two small batches. When the family is here I have two pans going at once. 

If you follow these instructions, I promise that you will have a crispy, tasty and non mushy treat!!!

I have served this dish to people who had never tasted okra, people who had tasted okra and said NEVER again. They now love fried okra.

I am not recommending this everyday. Once, twice or three times a season is a special treat.

Here is our occasional comfort food treat!

Try it, you'll like it!!

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