SHRIMP AND OKRA

Sauteed Shrimp and Okra
Makes 4 to 6 servings

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more if needed
1-1/2 pounds okra, trimmed, chopped
1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 to 3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced jalapeno
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup diced onion
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 cup diced tomato, with juices

Place a cast-iron skillet over medium heat and add oil. Add okra and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. If okra starts to stick, add more oil. Add shrimp, garlic, jalapeño, ginger, onion, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, until onion softens and shrimp begin to turn pink and opaque. Add parsley, thyme, and tomato and cook until shrimp is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper if needed.

FRIED OKRA

Fried Okra

2 lbs Okra, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

  Wash them in water acidulated with vinegar.

  Then drizzle them with:
1/8 cup buttermilk

  Toss them with:
1 tsp. seasoning salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

  Then toss with:

3 tbsp all purpose flour. To coat.

  Finally toss them with:
1/2 cup cornmeal.

  Fry in:
2 cups vegetable oil to fry with

  Drain on paper towels.

OKRA and TOMATOES CASSEROLE

OKRA and TOMATOES CASSEROLE

3 cups sliced okra
1/4 cup oil
1 (10-ounce) can Ro-Tel tomatoes, undrained
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup crushed potato chips
1/4 cup fine, dry bread crumbs

Place okra in lightly greased 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Drizzle with oil. Top with tomatoes and onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover loosely with foil. Bake at 400 degrees, stirring occasionally, 1 hour.

Stir together potato chips and crumbs; sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, 15 more minutes or until lightly browned.

STEWED OKRA

Stewed Okra

2 lbs. Fresh okra, ½ inch slices
4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
1 large onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp. Garlic, finely chopped
½ lb. Bacon, crumbled and drippings, reserved
½ cup vegetable oil
½ lb. Seasoning ham diced
½ lb. Smoked sausage, 1/4 inch slices
½ lb. Small shrimp, without shells
1 tsp. Thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper and hot sauce

In enameled Dutch oven or other similar device, (a cast iron pot without enamel will turn the okra black) heat bacon drippings and oil over moderate heat. Brown ham and sausage. After they are browned, remove them. Next, add okra, onions bell pepper, garlic and gently saute them covered until okra is no longer slimy. Stir often and pour off any excess fat from pot. Add reserved ham, sausage, crumbled bacon, thyme and bay leaf. Cook covered until okra is tender. Stir frequently. Finally, add diced tomatoes, shrimp, salt, pepper, hot sauce and cook 10 minutes more. Serve with fresh rice. Serves 8 to 10.

OKRA HAM AND TOMATO GUMBO

Okra, Ham and Tomato Gumbo

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 strips hickory-smoked bacon, chopped
2 packages sliced, frozen okra, 16-ounce size
2 cans chopped tomatoes, 14.5 ounce size
1 -1/2 cups store-bought chopped vegetable seasoning
1 cup frozen yellow corn
2 teaspoons seafood seasoning
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¾ cup vegetable or seafood stock
4 whole bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 pounds 51-60 shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup small diced ham
1 pound tiny elbow macaroni, cooked al dente
Flat leaf parsley, finely chopped for garnish
½ cup green onions, thinly sliced for garnish

Put a 5-quart heavy cast iron Dutch oven on the stove top over medium heat. Then fry down the bacon in the vegetable oil until lightly browned and crispy. Remove it from the pot and set it aside for a while.
Now drop into the pot the frozen okra and fry it down, too, until the okra begins to brown and the "rope" starts to disappear (about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally). Then, with the fire still at medium heat, drop in the chopped tomatoes, the vegetable seasoning mix, the corn, the seafood seasoning, they cayenne pepper, the bay leaves, and the dried thyme.
Next, stir everything together well, making sure it is all totally combined. Now reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let the gumbo simmer for about 20-25 minute or until the veggies are tender.
At this point, drop in the shrimp and the ham, stir them into the mixture, cover the pot, and let the pot of gumbo simmer once more for about 10 minutes.
When you’re ready to eat, spoon out a generous helping of elbow macaroni in a large soup bowl, ladle the gumbo over the pasta, and garnish the bowl with a scattering of parsley and green onions and top off the dish with a light sprinkling of bacon.
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Editor’s Note:
Traditionally, gumbos, regardless of the kind, are served over hot, steamed, white rice. But not this one. The elbow macaroni lends a different dimension and rounds out the depth of flavor.
If you can find really tender, young okra at, say, a farmers’ market, you can substitute it for the frozen stuff. But make certain the pods are young and tender otherwise the okra will turn out tasting tough and "woody."
It is perfectly permissible to use "fresh" tomatoes (preferably Roma) when making this recipe. Just remember to peel and de-seed the tomatoes before dicing them an smothering them down in the Dutch oven.
In lieu of frozen corn on the cob, you may also prefer to use fresh corn. Simply strip off the kernels (along with the corn "milk") and blend them into the other ingredients, allowing them to smother long enough to soften and tenderize the hulls.