I grow okra each summer and use it all year long, either fresh or frozen, in various dishes. I also pickle a couple gallons in quart jars for use during the off season. Following are some of the ways I use okra as requested by a few members of this fine group.
Pickled Okra: This is how I do it, but each person has their own personal preference and taste so none of this is written in stone.
Enough fresh okra to fill several quart jars that have been cleaned well to sanitize. I rinse the okra a few hours prior to use and allow to dry on a towel before packing the jars. Tightly pack the jars with okra pods. Add enough vinegar of choice to fill the jars a bit more than 1/3 then top off with water to finish filling the jars. Now, dump all the liquid from the jars into a saucepan.
The following is added to your taste: Salt, dried cayenne pepper flakes, sliced garlic, peppercorns and a hint of sugar. Bring this mixture to a boil for several minutes to incorporate all the seasonings. Pour the hot brine mixture over the okra and leave about 1/2 inch of headspace in the jar. Tap the jar with a wooden spoon to help expel any trapped air. Seal the jar tightly with the lids provided and set aside. I've never had a jar not seal, but if some don't, simply place them in the refrigerator and use these first. I generally let them sit for 3 or more weeks before using them.
Fried Okra:
Slice fresh okra in 1/2" thick slices. For my wife, daughter and myself, I'll use about 20 pods. Beat 2 eggs and add a heaping tablespoon of sour cream and incorporate it into the eggs. The sour cream makes the batter stick better. Place the sliced okra in the egg mixture. Next, take either corn meal or unseasoned fish fry (my choice). To this add salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic powder to taste.
I add enough cooking oil to a cast iron pan so that the okra is covered and not needing to be turned while cooking. Heat the oil to 325 degrees.
Take okra out of the egg mixture and drain it just slightly then dredge it in the batter. Fry the okra just until it gets golden brown and remove with a slotted spoon to drain on some paper towels. The less you handle okra when it is frying, the better the batter remains on it.
Smothered Okra: This is what I use in many of the kinds of gumbo I cook and in some soups as a thickening agent and more texture. I cook this in quantity several times in the summer for later use.
2 gallons of okra sliced in thin (1/4" to 3/8") pieces.
2 large onions diced
1 large or 2 small bell peppers diced
4 ribs celery diced
8 cloves garlic minced
1 bunch green onions minced
1/4 cup parsley minced
2 large cans petite diced tomatoes or equivalent fresh diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup oil (I prefer bacon grease for this)
2 tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
2 tbsp. Hot sauce of choice. I use Tabasco
salt and pepper to taste
I use an 12 qt. heavy gauge pot to cook this in. Heat the oil, add the onions, bell pepper, celery and allow to cook for 5 minutes. Next add the garlic and allow to cook for a couple minutes to infuse the flavor. Now add everything else and mix it well. This will have a thick consistency and seem very slimy initially, but will break down as it cooks. Once the okra mixture comes to heat, lower the fire and allow it to cook down for at least 3 hours. Stir often since this is a very thick mixture and will stick to the bottom of the pot if not tended to. I use a heat diffuser on my gas burner to more evenly distribute the heat over the bottom of the pot(strongly recommended).
Once cooked, allow to cool and put it in quart bags to be frozen for later use. This is also a favorite just as it is cooked as a side dish in many households. Like I said, I use it in gumbos and have a recipe for my Chicken/Andouille Gumbo in this section. Another good use is when I make vegetable beef soup. I generally make a gallon or more when I cook it and add a quart bag of the above smothered okra for more flavor, texture and as a thickener.
Here's one of the easiest and one of my favorites.
Grilled Okra
Arrange several okra pods alternating stem end, pointy side by side. Use 2 skewers, one near each end to pierce the okra and bind together like a raft. Next, coat both sides with oil----I use olive oil but any oil of your choosing would be good. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste. Place the okra rafts on a hot grill and allow to cook till the pods get tender and the skewers want to pull out fairly easily. Remove the rafts and enjoy. This is one of the favorites in my house for fresh okra use. Even my son eats it and he generally doesn't eat "green".
There's many more recipes out there for Okra, but these are the ones I use the most and some of my favorites.
