I hate calling it "fried" because it's really just sautéd without flour or any type of breading. In my opinion, this makes the flavor better, and it's definitely a lot more healthy.
Let's start at the beginning. I developed a deep love for fresh, home-grown vegetables when I was very young. My Papa had a 2-acre garden and a mighty green thumb and we had an endless supply of all kinds of veggies and fruits. When I was young, I loved the food of course, but as a small girl who just had it prepared for me every night for dinner, I didn't realize what an awesome commodity we had. Now, I definitely realize how good we had it, every time I drive out to our local fruit stand to purchase my okra, tomatoes, squash, watermelons, and the list goes on.
Nanny and Papa
I LOVE late summer when the okra is plentiful. Here's my favorite way to fix it - courtesy of Nanny.
Wash and cut your okra. Heat olive oil in a skillet (about 1 tbsp. per lb. of okra) on med-high heat. Add your okra (if it's really wet or you are preparing it from the freezer, you can dust it with a tiny bit of flour or cornmeal). Add ground black pepper and season salt to taste. Cook until heated through and pieces are soft and tender. Note* if I have a small onion on hand, I'll chop it up and throw it in with the okra for a little added flavor. Totally optional.
Some people in my family like it cooked JUST until it is soft and no longer, and others like it more done and a little black and crunchy. I think the flavor is great either way, so I do it both ways.
Perfection! This is definitely my favorite vegetable. I cook squash and zucchini the same way often. They are both delicious cooked this simple way too.
And where is this local fruit stand?
ReplyDeleteRyan, it's Mr. Harrison's (from church) fruit stand out on HWY 10. Drive down Willey to HWY 10, turn left and it's a little red shack on the right side of the road. Not sure if he has okra yet, but it should be getting close. For this post, I was using last year's okra that my grandma cut up and froze.
ReplyDeletethis is exactly how my mom makes it too!! and it is absolutely delicious. i could eat a whole plate of just okra, lol.
ReplyDeleteMegan - it's so great that way in my opinion! I could eat a lot of it too - I craved it all summer last summer when I was pregnant:) Even more than usual!
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