The flowers on an okra plant are really amazing. Who knew?
You can see a nearly-ripe fruit on the bottom left of the picture.
I love the stuff, but it's crucial to cook it properly. You'll be amazed at its slimy texture, but its greatest liability is also its greatest asset: It helps form the base for many soups and stews, especially in Cajun cooking.
The slimy texture is also a natural conduit for breading. A traditional Southern recipe would have you roll around sliced rings of okra in cornmeal, salt and pepper until they are well-coated. Cook in olive oil until tender and before the breading gets burnt. I did it yesterday using seasoned breadcrumbs, and it worked great. Prepared this way, there is no slimy texture, just a wonderful breaded, fried vegetable!
(double-click the picture for better view!)Bonus points to whoever can successfully count the fruit in the picture.
I want to play the fruit-counting game, but I am unsure about what, exactly, is the fruit in the photo. Help?
ReplyDeleteYou have to count the okra. How many can you find?
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to work out whether we have okra here in the uk, they look a little like courgettes, but not quite the same - I don't think I've come across this before.
ReplyDelete3
ReplyDeleteNot even close.
ReplyDelete!!!!!
ReplyDeleteDo reveal your secret!
There's at least 5-6 plus the flower, which'll be an okra soon, too (and probably already is considering the picture is a few days old).
ReplyDeleteRunner Bean,
ReplyDeleteI think courgettes are what we call zucchini. Okra is very different--much smaller and totally different flavor and texture.
Yes. Courgettes = zucchini.
ReplyDeleteZucchini - thank you very much. :-)
ReplyDeleteRunner Bean/Pauline