Fresh okra

Pickle them

Adding okra to chicken and sausage gumbo or seafood gumbo is something I prefer to leave up to experts, like my mom.. but I'd also like to know what steps others follow to reduce the slime in their okra gumbo.

quote:

---

what steps others follow to reduce the slime in their okra gumbo.

---

Sautee them before adding to gumbo to eliminate slime. For a side, I prefer a simple Sautee in olive oil then add salt n pepper. I prefer this over fried.

Fry it, pickle it, and one of my favorite ways----grill it.

To grill okra, simply drizzle them with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper and a bit of garlic powder and grill like any other vegetable until desired doneness.


Like already mentioned, smother it with onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, your choice of some type stock or plain water, your choice of wet and dry seasonings and slice the okra in 1/2 inch rings and cook it down for a couple hours over a low fire. It will be slimy as snot the first hour or so, but will even out as it cooks.


Add just enough stock or water to barely see it in the pot and make sure to stir it often so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

Once you finish cooking it this way, pack it away in freezer bags and use it when you make your gumbos and soups as it acts like a thickening agent.


I'm picking upwards of 50-60 pods a day right now from my garden and am up to my eyeballs in okra.

quote:

---

this I grilled a ton over the weekend and it was a crowd pleaser.

---

I gave a buddy of mine a days picking (about 50 pods) and he grilled them for his family and a few friends one day.

He has 2 young daughters that he said didn't like vegetables, but they almost killed themselves eating the grilled okra and it is now one of their favorites.

So far, I haven't met anyone who doesn't like it when they try it.

quote:

---

What's your grilling technique?

---

No reply from the other poster but this is how I do it.

I do it one of two different ways with the same results, just one looks a bit fancier.

Skewered:
Take like size pods of okra and alter their direction as you skewer one end----pointy end, stem end, and put 8-10 on a skewer. Then lay them flat on your countertop and put a second skewer through the opposite end and make okra rafts.

Or, simply brush on some olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper and garlic powder and grill them individually. The pods are big enough to not fall through the grate like asparagus can at times.

I use the same oil/seasoning for both ways. You can get fancy and do some melted butter with garlic and herbs, but I like to keep it simple and lower calorie, so butter is out.