The okra show

Many cookbooks, except for southern ones, don’t spend much time on okra except to note -- as food maven Mark Bittman did in “How to Cook Everything” (Wiley, 1998) -- “many northerners have never come to appreciate” it. Yet John Martin Taylor, author of “The New Southern Cook” (Bantam, 1995) claims that okra’s flavor “is one of the best in the vegetable kingdom.” And a British writer, the late Jane Grigson, waxed poetic about the vegetable.

The five-sided pods of the okra plant - also known as “lady fingers” to Grigson’s audience - “are the most elegant of vegetables. ... They could be classed with Chinese artichokes for beauty of form,” she wrote in “Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book” (Penguin, 1981). But okra has a history, she continues, “of suffering and much anguish.” Okra, you see, is a native of tropical Africa. The name comes from the word “nkurmama,” in the Twi language of the Gold Coast. “Like the plant and its first users, the name crossed the Atlantic with the slave trade.” Suffering and anguish, indeed.

Okra — which is also popular in Indian, Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian cooking -- has an odd texture; okra haters would call it slimy, but Grigson says delicately that it “exudes a mucilaginous juice ... which some people dislike.” Slave cooks, however, learned how to turn this texture “to culinary advantage.”

As a northerner who came to appreciate okra somewhat late in life, I like my okra fried, plain or in fritters — the least “mucilaginous” way to prepare it. I recently made the acquaintance of the traditional southern stew of okra, tomato and corn, and loved that as well.

The recipes below come from “The Boathouse Cookbook,” from Charleston, S.C., written by Douglas W. Bostick and Jason R. Davidson (JogglingBoard Press, 2006), and “River Run Cookbook” by Jimmy and Maya Kennedy and me (HarperCollins, 2001). The stew is from Bittman’s book.

FRIED OKRA WITH SPICY RANCH DIPPING SAUCE

For the sauce:

1 shallot, minced

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups mayonnaise

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup half-and-half

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

2 teaspoons chopped dill

1 chipotle chili (see note), minced

For the okra:

1 cup prepared breading mix for seafood (available in supermarkets)

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs, available in supermarkets) or freshly made breadcrumbs

2 pounds fresh okra

1 cup buttermilk

3 cups vegetable or peanut oil, for frying

Make the dipping sauce: Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth.

Preheat the oven to warm. Line several plates with several layers of paper towels. Set aside.

Prepare the okra: Combine the breading mix and the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Set aside. Trim the stems off the okra without cutting into the pod. (That will release the “mucilaginous juices.”) Place the okra in another bowl and pour the buttermilk over it, tossing to coat. Allow to marinate while you heat the oil in a deep pot until it reaches 350 F.

Drain the okra. Roll it in the breading mixture until well coated. Working in batches, fry the okra until golden brown and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on the prepared plates. Keep warm in the oven while you finish frying the remaining okra. Serve hot, with the ranch dip on the side.

Note: Chipotle chilies are smoked jalapenos and are available dried whole, powdered, canned in “adobo sauce” or pickled. Look for whole. If you can’t find them, odds are your supermarket carries them in adobo sauce. Just scrape off the sauce and use.

Yield: serves 6 to 8 as a side dish or appetizer

Recipe from “The Boathouse Cookbook” by Douglas W. Bostick and Jason R. Davidson (JogglingBoard Press, 2006)

OKRA FRITTERS

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup buttermilk or regular whole milk

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional but good)

1 pound fresh or frozen okra, cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds (stem ends trimmed and discarded)

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/2 medium green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped

1 small stalk celery, chopped

canola oil, for frying (2/3 to 1-1/2 cups for a 10-inch skillet)

ketchup or hot-pepper vinegar, for serving

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs and buttermilk. Add the flour, cornmeal, salt, black pepper, thyme and cayenne (if using) and mix well. Add the okra, onion, bell pepper and celery, and stir until well blended. Let sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes.

Set the oven to warm, and line a baking sheet with a brown paper bag or paper towels.

Heat 1/4 to 1/2 inch of oil in a heavy skillet until very hot. The surface should look wavy.

When the oil is ready, gently drop batter into the oil by large spoonfuls (to make 3-inch fritters) and fry until golden brown, turning to cook the other side. (Each side will take 4 or 5 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on the prepared baking sheet. Set in the oven to keep warm while you fry the remaining fritters.

Serve as soon as possible with your topping of choice.

Yield: about 16 3-inch fritters, or 8 servings

Recipe from “River Run Cookbook” by Jimmy and Maya Kennedy and Marialisa Calta (HarperCollins, 2001)

OKRA, CORN AND TOMATO STEW

3 ripe tomatoes

2 to 3 ears corn, husks removed

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 red or yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup chopped okra

1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste

minced cilantro or fresh parsley leaves, for garnish

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cut an X with a sharp knife at the base of each tomato, cutting only through the skin. Immerse the tomatoes in the boiling water until the skin begins to slide off (30 to 60 seconds). Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and drain. When cool enough to handle, core, seed and chop the tomatoes. Set aside.

Cut a small slice off the thickest end of each ear of corn so it will stand up in a shallow bowl. Using a sharp knife, cut the kernels off the cob from top to bottom (thin to thick). You want 2 cups of kernels. Set aside.

Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and, 1 minute later, the onion and bell pepper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bell pepper is fairly tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes, okra and chili powder, turn heat to low and stir. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, for about 10 minutes, or until the okra is tender.

Uncover and stir in the corn. If the mixture is very liquid, raise the heat to medium and cook with the cover off for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. If the mixture is fairly dry, cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Garnish and serve.

Yield: 4 servings

Recipe from “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman (Wiley, 1998)

Marialisa Calta is the author of “Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family” (Perigee, 2005). For more information, go to www.marialisacalta.com.

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