Okra Anyone?

Can you guess what this is?  And if you say it is pot, then I know you must not know your pot!  Seriously, a couple of years ago our neighbor from Michigan asked if it was pot.  We had to laugh.  Had he known us, he would not have had to ask that question. 

 One of my last summer tomatoes.  He is a little guy, but I will never throw out a tomato.  This heat is wreaking havoc on my vines, and even with steady watering they cannot withstand this heat.  I have a dozen or so on the vines still, but the days are numbered.  Thankfully this year I had enough tomatoes to can picante sauce.

This cucumber is no longer on the vine.  He is now on my kitchen cabinet, cooling down for my dinner tonight.  Cucumbers are still putting on little tiny cucumbers, but they are yellowing and swiveling from the heat so they will never be big enough for eating.

By the way, if you hadn't guessed, the first picture is okra, and if you are from Oklahoma and don't know that, I am ashamed of you. 

My hubby loves okra, but it has to be fried crispy.  I like mine softer so when I fry it, which is seldom, I take my portion out before his.  My mother was a huge fan of boiled okra, and each year she would put some in the freezer to add to winter soups.  Saturday I put a package of the smaller pods in my freezer for the same purpose.  Don't knock it until you have tried it............and I know what you are going to say.....something about all that slime.  Don't cook it that long, silly. 

As I have told you in prior posts, back in the day we had Sunday dinners at one of my aunts houses every other Sunday and Aunt Azalee had a boiled okra/tomato concoction that she served a lot.  I loved it.  I am not sure of her recipe, but it had chili powder, tomatoes, and okra.  I have come pretty close to replicating it, but Saturday it came to me like in a dream....a voice......."Try it with Rotel.  Nobody will eat it but you anyway so why not spice it up."     Well, why not..........oh my gosh, it was delicious.  You are not going to find this appealing if you don't like boiled okra, but if you are willing to try something new, your taste buds will thank you.

Simple Spicy Tomato Okra

1 can Rotel

1/4 to 1/2 cup Chicken Broth

1 teaspoon Dried Minced Onion

1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon Chili Powder (to taste)

1/2 teaspoon Cumin Powder

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Mexican Oregano

12 3" fresh Okra pods

Simply boil this together in small covered saucepan until okra is tender (not slimy).  That is it!

I am not a huge fan of eating the cooked tomatoes, but the tomatoes and chilies give the okra a wonderful spicy flavor.  After eating all the pods, I had enough Rotel leftover to save.  I reheated it the next night, added more chicken broth and of course, more okra.  Just as good the second night.

And if you need a recipe for fried okra:

Put about 1/2 cup cornbread mix (Shawnee Yellow Cornbread Mix) in the bottom of a bowl.  Add salt and pepper and mix.  Add as much sliced okra (I slice mine about 1/4 to 1/3 inch) as you want.  Mix together and let stand a bit in order for the mix to adhere to the okra a bit.  You can put in the refrigerator for an hour or so.

Heat Canola Oil in skillet (I use cast iron), about 1/8 inch deep.  When a test slice sizzles, add okra and fry till desired doneness.

Memory:  When my precious little girl was about 10 or 11, she made a casserole from her kids recipe book which called for canned green beans.  We didn't have any green beans, so she added fresh okra; green is green, right?  She cooked it for as long as the recipe said and brought it to the dining table, smiling with pride..........she had fixed dinner all by herself.  She dipped each of us a large serving and we all began to eat.  I glanced at my hubby, he at me and we grinned.  It was simply inedible.  To this day, I recall how disappointed she was.  I can still see her little turned down mouth, almost in tears.  She had no idea that not all vegetables are interchangeable in a recipe.  Today, she is a wonderful cook and serves her family a home cooked meal at the dining table almost every night.  I am so proud of her for that.  In these days, it seems that family dinner at the kitchen table is a rarity.  

Thank you, my female mentors, for sharing your wonderful meals and recipes with me.  Thank you Shawna for not giving up......for fixing many of our meals when I worked.......for making meals for your family.....for giving your family that bonding experience that only comes over the dining room table.

I love you.