Smothered okra and tomatoes pairs well with just about anything! Fried catfish, chicken fried steak, meatloaf, or pot roast- it's a perfect and healthy Southern side dish your family will learn to love! If you want it thick, let the skillet simmer after the okra are tender Serving Suggestions It thickens any dish you put it in, like Gumbo. It only takes a few minutes of the total cooking time for the okra to become tender. Bring the liquid (water, chicken broth, vegetable broth) to a full rolling boil on medium-high heat, then add the okra.This makes it a bit crisp, but may help reduce the slime in cooked okra. Lightly sauté okra in oil first, then drain well.(The salt absorbs some of the moisture in the okra) - OR. Heavily salt whole okra pods with kosher salt let it sit for 10-15 minutes on a paper towel then shake off the excess salt and cut into rounds.To avoid slimy okra, t he best way is to remove as much water as you can before you cook the okra. Okra pods have an 88-90% water content and that's why we often get slimy okra. Boil 2-minutes stick a fork in the okra to test for the tenderness of the okra cover and remove from heat let rest 5-minutes, taste for seasonings, then serve.Toss salted okra in a colander to shake off excess salt add okra to tomato mixture.Add water, chicken or vegetable broth bring to boil.(The reason we cook the tomatoes so long is to cook out the acidity) Add tomatoes, bay leaves, Creole (or Cajun) seasoning cook on medium 20 minutes uncovered, until sauce begins to thicken.In a large ceramic or stainless steel pan, heat oil to medium heat and saute onion and garlic.(The salt absorbs some of the moisture so the okra won't be too slimy.) Shake off excess salt, pat the okra dry and cut okra in ¼" inch to ½" inch rounds. Season lightly with kosher salt- let it sit for 15 minutes.First, rinse and pat dry the whole okra pods cut into ¼" inch rounds and place them in a single layer on a paper towel.Fresh, or frozen okra, a sweet yellow onion, tomatoes (fresh are best but you can use canned), Creole or Cajun seasoning, water or chicken broth (not shown), garlic (fresh or garlic powder), a few dried bay leaves, a little salt and black pepper. This classic Southern recipe is based on a few simple ingredients. In the South, it is not uncommon to find a pickled okra in your weekend Bloody Mary! Other preparation methods include grilled and pickled okra. In the Southern United States, you'll often find fried okra - cut okra that has been lightly dusted with cornmeal and fried in oil. The African term for okra is "gombo"-so if you think of Louisiana gumbo when you hear the word okra, you're exactly right! It is used heavily in African recipes and often added to soups, stews and Gumbo's as a natural thickening agent. Okra has quite a history, but some folks aren't aware of the vegetable or how to cook it! It originally came from Africa in the early 1700s, landing, most likely, in Louisiana. Also in this family are hollyhock, cotton and Rose of Sharon. Braising is probably the best comparison to "smothered" or "stewed." What is okra?īelieve it or not, okra is a nutrient dense, edible plant pod in the Mallow plant family(Malvaceae). It means to slow cook something (vegetables or meat) on moderate heat with ample liquid. These terms are often used interchangeably in Cajun and Creole cooking. Affordable - these are fresh summer vegetables which means in the summer, they're cheap! You can also make this with canned tomatoes and frozen okra.Healthy and Low-Calorie- not all Southern food is fried and this offers a whole lot of vitamins and nutrients- a perfect vegetarian dish or vegetable side dish to your fried catfish.Quick and easy - takes about 35-minutes to prepare you've gotta cook down or "stew" the tomatoes.Prepping the okra with salt avoids "slimy" okra.How to make smothered okra and tomatoes. Slimy green vegetable that "had-the-dickens-boiled-out-of-it." we'd just scoot it around on the plate.īut here's a smothered okra and tomato recipe that you'll actually enjoy - no slime-just delicious tender okra in a savory Creole-type tomato sauce. Many a Southerner remembers Grandma's boiled okra and we hated it. This Southern okra recipe is proof that not all Southern food is fried! Simple recipe with simple ingredients!
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