One-Pot Wonders

Okra and Sweet Corn Purloo

by:
September  9, 2013
4.7
3 Ratings
Okra and Sweet Corn Purloo
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

Purloo is a dish of economy. It is a dish of diversity. It is a dish that tells many a family history simply by ingredients the cook chooses to use. It is of Low Country origin. It is meant to serve many and it is meant to be comforting. And it is. —thirschfeld

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup yellow onion, small dice
  • 1/3 cup green pepper, small dice
  • 1/3 cup celery, small dice
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 2 cups okra, cut crosswise into stars
  • 2 cups smoked turkey thigh or smoked ham
  • 1 cup sweet corn, removed from the cob
  • 1 cup short grain rice
  • 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 400? F. Place a heavy bottomed 3-quart pot over medium heat. Add enough oil to the pot to barely coat the bottom.
  2. Once the oil is hot add the onion, pepper, and celery. Season with a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft but not brown.
  3. Add the thyme, basil, marjoram, and garlic. Saute, being careful not to brown the garlic, until they become fragrant. Add the okra, turkey, and corn. Season the purloo again with salt and freshly ground pepper. Taste and adjust any seasoning necessary.
  4. If the pan seems dry add a little more oil. Then add the rice and stir it around to coat the grains with the oil. Add the broth.
  5. Grab the pot by the handle and give it a sharp shake so everything evens out and is distributed evenly. Bring the broth to a boil.
  6. Turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid and slide the whole thing into the oven. Immediately turn the heat to 325? F.
  7. Set a timer for 35 minutes. At the end of thirty five minutes remove the pot from the oven, remove the lid and using a tasting spoon check the rice to see if it is done.
  8. If it is not done, cover the pot and return it to the oven for 10 more minutes.
  9. If the rice is tender, serve.
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  • Stacy Anne Hoehle
    Stacy Anne Hoehle
  • MSL-2302
    MSL-2302
  • Sara Andrew
    Sara Andrew
  • Laureenong
    Laureenong
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13 Reviews

LindaB
LindaB August 14, 2019
This wonderful low country classic is so easy. In the absence of smoked turkey or ham, I cut up 2 or 3 links of a cajun-seasoned chicken sausage, browned up the pieces, and tossed them into the pot. For truly classic purloo, nothing more than 3-4 slices of bacon cooked crisp and crumbled coarsely is perfect. Using the bacon grease for sauteeing the veggies is perfection multiplied! Also, for appeal to the palate preferring a spicy kick, mince up 1 or 2 small jalapeños and add to the pot to cook with the green pepper, onion, and celery. If that does not provide enough heat, add Tabasco Sauce to taste as well. If fresh corn is not available add a can of sweet corn, reserving the can liquids, adding them to the broth, adjusting the amount of broth to a total amount of called-for liquids. This excellent one-bowl meal is delicious as leftovers, gently reheated
 
Stacy A.
Stacy A. December 5, 2017
I would either cook okra separately or add at the end. Mine ended up too soft, and made the whole thing slimy. I have some pickled okra I need to use up, since vinegar makes okra not slimy, planning on trying this one more time with low sodium broth (coupled with the salty smoked turkey, too salty), and then cutting up the pickled okra and adding at the end. Hoping that comes out better.
 
MSL-2302
MSL-2302 March 22, 2015
Similar to what others are saying: a few dashes of Tabasco really made this dish sing. I left out the turkey to vegetarianize it, added a cup of zucchini that was sitting around in the fridge, and decreased the amount of rice just a bit. I used half a poblano pepper in place of the green bell pepper, and that was tasty-- next time the whole thing will go in, with some Lima beans, which would take this closer to a succotash variation. Thanks for this great weeknight recipe, Tom!
 
K. A.
K. A. September 24, 2013
I actually made it on top of the stove,using all the same spices and vegetables but, as it is early spring here in Australia, I used bok choi sliced, plus peas and corn and bacon and a few chilli flakes and cooked Quinoa folded in at the end plus salt and pepper. Really good!
 
GSmodden
GSmodden September 23, 2013
This came out perfectly. The trick of having the oven at 400 degrees and then lowering the temp to 320 when the pot goes in the oven.... Would that work with other rice casserole type dishes (ie. lamb biriyani) to make for just as fluffy a dish?
 
thirschfeld
thirschfeld September 23, 2013
I finish cooking rice in the oven all the time. I think it would work fine.
 
Sara A.
Sara A. September 18, 2013
Very good, very easy, very versatile: a nice "fridge cleaner" recipe. Added some hot sauce at the end, the vinegar tang compliments the sweetness of the corn, imo.
 
Laureenong
Laureenong September 14, 2013
I am going to veganize this recipe with vegan sausage in lieu of smoked turkey/ham.
 
Constance B.
Constance B. September 12, 2013
In the photo, it looks like chopped red bell peppers are in the dish or something else red in color. Is it red rather than green peppers called for in the recipe?
 
thirschfeld
thirschfeld September 12, 2013
That is smoked turkey.
 
K. A.
K. A. September 12, 2013
I'll try it over the weekend. It would probably freeze well too.
 
Slimfender
Slimfender September 11, 2013
I made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely perfect. I used fresh basil vs. dried, and added a minced chili pepper. Perfect.
 
K. A.
K. A. September 11, 2013
Sounds good. A few flakes of dry chilli would add a bit of a kick.