As summer draws to a close, okra (fresh and local) is showing 
up at roadside stands and in the markets.  If you're a southerner, 
this means fried okra, pickled okra, and best of all, gumbo!

If not, here's a gussied up recipe of an old favorite of my 
grandmother's from a wine list that I've just tried, and really 
like (what's not to like about bacon?):

As summer drags on (and on and on), late-summer vegetables 
are coming into season, and one of the best of these is okra.

Okra is native to Africa, a hot-climate vegetable that needs a 
long growing season, so it's common in places like the American 
South, where long, hot summers and an African heritage coincide. 
It's a pretty vegetable, best chosen when its pale-green, finger-
like pods are bright and dry.

Okra boasts a natural affinity for onions and tomatoes, and 
its "meaty" flavor can round out a vegetarian dish with a hearty 
richness that fulfills any craving for meat; while for carnivores it 
makes a great addition to dishes involving chicken or pork.

Many people fear okra for its perceived "slimy" nature, and
 the raw vegetable, when cut, does indeed give off a shiny, 
mucilaginous substance that's not easy to love. The good 
news, however, is that cooking it properly banishes this 
problem completely: Five or 10 minutes of browning in the 
skillet and it's gone.

Okra is the central ingredient in gumbo, and it often turns
 up in a hearty vegetable dish stewed with tomatoes and 
onions. The other night, blessed with a bag full of fine, fresh 
small okra pods, I put together a flavorful summer dinner 
based on okra and tomatoes over rice, "fancifying" it a bit 
by adding the bold flavors of bacon and Point Reyes blue 
cheese as a quick garnish. For a vegetarian version, simply
leave out the bacon and use 3 tablespoons olive oil to saute 
and brown the vegetables.


FANCIFIED OKRA AND TOMATOES
Printer version of this recipe 

INGREDIENTS:
(Serves two)

2 or 3 slices bacon
24 small pods okra, enough to make about 2 cups (about a pound
1/2 cup (120g) chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
2 good-size garlic cloves
1 or 2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
Sea salt
Black pepper
Tabasco or some dried red-pepper flakes
2 ounces (60g) blue cheese

PROCEDURE:

1. Cook the bacon over medium heat in a heavy black-iron 
skillet, turning it occasionally, until it's browned and crisp. 
Remove to drain on paper towels and crumble it when it's 
dry, reserving the bacon fat in the skillet.

2. While the bacon browns, wash the okra pods and slice 
them into thick rounds, discarding the caps if you prefer. 
(HINT: Choose smaller pods no longer than 1 1/2 or 2 inches 
if possible. The larger pods tend to become woody and fibrous)

3. Chop the onion coarsely and mince the garlic fine. Peel, 
seed and dice the tomatoes and season them with salt and 
pepper to taste.

4. Put the skillet with its reserved bacon fat back over 
medium-high heat and saute the onions until they're 
translucent. Stir in the sliced okra and cook, stirring 
frequently, until the okra "slime" has completely 
disappeared and the vegetables are starting to brown. 
(You can add a little water from time to time if necessary 
to keep them from sticking and burning, but you want to 
keep it on the dry side so the veggies will brown.) Add the 
garlic, sautee for a moment or two, then stir in the chopped 
tomatoes.

5. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for another 15 
minutes or until the okra is soft. Don't overcook - there's 
no need to cook them into mush; unlike most southern 
vegetable dishes you're probably used to....

Check seasoning and serve with steaming white rice, 
topped with the crumbled bacon and blue cheese.

- enjoy -
Andrew H. Auld
[Anglican] Summer's sweet ending....(recipe)
Thu Aug 23 2007