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51 Comments
gluttonforlife
October 1, 2011
I love okra so much, and am sad that we don't be able to grow it where we are--too wet? not enough heat? It's a classic in Indian cuisine and is delicious fried crisp with fresh curry leaves. Thanks for the beautiful photos and boost for the much-maligned ladyfinger.
ctgal
September 18, 2011
Tom, thank you, thank you! I've gotten piles of okra from my CSA and was running out of ideas. Along comes your story and recipe, and I made it for dinner, along with a kale fritata. Perfection!!! It was delicious, and I liked it even better than fried okra, or any creole dish I could create. I am sending it to my CSA website, crediting you, of course, so all the members can try it. And, by the way, your writing and storytelling is able to bring me right to the scene you are creating. If I were still teaching English, I would have you as a special guest to talk about creative writing. A+++
Thank you!
Thank you!
SleepyG
September 14, 2011
Why did this post make me want to cry? And write. And kiss my babies. And be young again. Can't believe this is my first discovery of you, Tom. Mos Def Hooked. Thanks for making my coffee taste better.
Burnt O.
September 12, 2011
I keep a little folder on my desktop for articles, items, columns, essays, etc., that I don't have time to just skim over, and that I want to make sure that I read thoroughly because they deserve my full attention. Much the same way I DVR special shows and documentaries so I can enjoy them without interruption at a later date. Your column goes straight to the folder every week so I can savor it slowly and enjoy it fully. I look forward to that time and this has become a weekly highlight.
joan1028
September 11, 2011
Made this tonight w/ the best okra that could be found in Michigan grocery stores and it is a delicious change for cooking okra....might add a little onion next time. The basil adds an interesting touch of flavor. Definitely a "keeper".
petitbleu
September 11, 2011
Okra has much to recommend it. Frugality, hardiness, and nostalgia for pretty much anyone who grew up in the South or Midwest. There are precious few recipes for it, and it has never been en vogue, but it occupies an important place in my culinary heritage. Thanks for the excellent writing and a truly good, simple recipe.
goodsensehealth
September 11, 2011
Tom Hirschfeld, I'm in love with you and your writing. Indeed, edible memories are the tastiest of both worlds - people and food. Bravo to you and thank you for sharing your musings.
dancing K.
September 11, 2011
Thirschfeld...
IN to MO, an interesting transition. The story was beautifully told. I've recently made the transition from IN to CA...I'm beginning to feel I'm not in a foreign land anymore. Thanks for the story and recipe.
IN to MO, an interesting transition. The story was beautifully told. I've recently made the transition from IN to CA...I'm beginning to feel I'm not in a foreign land anymore. Thanks for the story and recipe.
boulangere
September 11, 2011
Envy you your Oceanside. I made the transition from CA to MT about 3 years ago. A little rough. I'm finally growing to appreciate the trade-off of mountains and ocean for big sky. Still miss the produce, though.
Theodelinde
September 11, 2011
Such fun, your story. Well written. We want it to go on ...a new form: the food novel!
I live in Paris where the food zoo/alphabet/taste pleasures are abundant. Okra is not but
I've had okra soup in NY and loved it.
Thanks for sharing the fun of you talents.
Adrienne
I live in Paris where the food zoo/alphabet/taste pleasures are abundant. Okra is not but
I've had okra soup in NY and loved it.
Thanks for sharing the fun of you talents.
Adrienne
jwlucas
September 11, 2011
Making this tonight with dinner. Okra is not as plentiful as it was at Raleigh-area markets, and the price is inching back up, but we've got a nice bowlful that is dedicated to this.
5280cook
September 11, 2011
Being a south Texas girl, I grew up on fried okra. There is just nothing better and more addictive. I now live in Colorado and find that not only is okra pretty hard to find but a bit expensive when it is available. When I do run across some, I love to pick out the smaller pieces and saute them whole in a little oil with some onion until they are soft and brown. I then throw in some crushed garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook for another moment or two. Sprinkle the finished dish with some chopped fresh cilantro and you have a great low slime side dish that this okra lover can't get enough of. I had no idea that okra flowers are so beautiful. I'd love to have a few of those for my salad. Your dish looks delicious. I will be trying it soon.
unoynot
September 11, 2011
Okra is a fascinating plant to grow, striking and unusual in a Nebraska garden. I would plant it just for the blooms, so the okra itself is a bonus. What a juicy, rich story you have shared, I could imagine the tantalizing fragrance from the smoker. The recipe is most tempting, can't wait to find some okra. Thank you.
vvvanessa
September 11, 2011
tip number 5 is brilliant. it should be etched in stone and placed in every garden.
Teri
September 8, 2011
I grew up eating fried orka like other people eat popcorn or potato chips. A couple of years ago, my dad's okra crop grew past the eaves on the house. You've made me incredibly hungry. Thanks for a grown-up version.
Also, if you don't want your okra slimy, do what Ella Brennan does. Saute it first in a little oil, to give it a little crust. Then dump it in your gumbo.
Also, if you don't want your okra slimy, do what Ella Brennan does. Saute it first in a little oil, to give it a little crust. Then dump it in your gumbo.
maya27
September 7, 2011
I make a similar dish but in an East Indian style with the addition of a small amount of tumeric and black mustard seeds. Delicious!
Kelly C.
September 7, 2011
What a great story. Now this one is my favorite. You are funny and melancholy and such a romantic. Edible Memories is right on.
duclosbe1
September 7, 2011
I have such great memories of my father growing okra in his garden when I was a kid, and I LOVED it--the slime, the fuzz, everything! I cannot wait to plant it myself one day. As an added bonus: now every time I think of okra, Coffee Blues will pop into my head. I love that song.
sarah K.
September 7, 2011
That was some savory reading. I'll do it. I'll buy some of the farmer's market okra, and burn it. I'm excited.
thirschfeld
September 8, 2011
thanks sarah k. Realize you want to stop just short of burning it is a fine line.
boulangere
September 7, 2011
Love okra. Love your story.
boulangere
September 7, 2011
p.s. The texture some find to be slimy is my definition of silky. There are few dishes in which I would not eat okra. I greatly envy you your easy growing climate. I last tried to grow it in Northern California where we could have a frost as late as July 4, and as early as Labor Day. When I consulted my biblical growing manual, I puzzled over how I had missed: "Okra presents a challenge to the northern grower."
thirschfeld
September 8, 2011
you know I was wondering how it would do here in Indiana the first time I grew it so I searched out a variety with a short maturity date. So far so good but you are right the further north the more difficult it will be.
boulangere
September 8, 2011
Oh, lucky you. You have a lovely way with words, sir. I thought I knew something in my twenties, too. But I had to get to twice that age before I grew into words to write about it
boulangere
September 8, 2011
Sorry, Parsley the cat lay down on the keyboard there. .....before I grew into words to write about it, or anything else. Okay, Parsley, it's all yours.
Midge
September 7, 2011
I bet you spin some serious tales for those girls of yours. Love this one, and okra.
thirschfeld
September 8, 2011
Thanks Midge. I am better on paper than in real life. Honestly the two little ones are better story tellers.
SKK
September 7, 2011
What wonderful photos, Tom! My brother-in-law owns a smoked barbecue restaurant. Last Thanksgiving we had family dinner at the restaurant (he closed it like Henry did) and we had so much food! Like Henry, David does not know how to cook for a small group. People were driving up thinking he was open so he invited them in to share Thanksgiving dinner! Met a lot of great people that day.
What David does with okra is truly wonderful - he smokes it. So good.
Love your articles!
What David does with okra is truly wonderful - he smokes it. So good.
Love your articles!
thirschfeld
September 8, 2011
thanks SKK. I have seen okra on the grill but never thought of smoking it. Sounds fantastic.
Kristen M.
September 8, 2011
Rick's Picks here in NYC makes a smoked okra pickle. You know, Smokra: http://rickspicksnyc.com/pickles/smokra They're a great way to class up a Bloody Mary.
cheese1227
September 7, 2011
I love your story telling. I'm managing a farmers market on Wednesdays now as my own personal means of getting closer to the local food movement (I know myself, and I KNOW I am not cut out for actually growing the stuff) and this dish is going to be my reward for spending 8 hours setting up, managing and tearing down today's open air market out there in the openly pouring rain! Thanks for the future food memory!
Hilarybee
September 7, 2011
I admit that I fear okra. I never had it growing up and I didn't even know what it was until a few years ago. I've had it at restaurants-both good and bad, but I've never attempted it. Husband loves the stuff, especially fried. So I bought some at the farmer's market the other day. I'm still staring at them. Maybe I'll make this, but likely without the peanut oil because of my nut allergies. What would you recommend as a substitute?
hardlikearmour
September 7, 2011
Great article! I've not grown okra, but this has inspired me to try. The flowers are gorgeous.
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