Anyone have any okra tips? I got a decent amount in my CSA box this week and am stumped.

Before you start, know that okra is a slimy fellow. Here are some tips we posted for dealing with the goo.

With very young okra, microwave it whole. Add 1 tsp of water, cover and microwave 3 minutes. Toss with butter, salt and pepper to taste, and a little lemon juice.

I'm in the mood to braise a pork. If anyone wantsta share their fave pork braising bits........please do. I have the proper equipment, it's new ideas for ingredients I'm in the market for.

Anne (in Reno),

Pickle them bad boys. Nothing better than an ice-cold okra pickle.

Bx,

You could try a Spanish interpretation of braised pork. Piquillo peppers, pickled hot peppers, whole garlic cloves, smoked paprika.

Or you could try an Italian recipe which calls for braising the pork in milk.

These are not new ideas per se, but they may be new to you?

Anne (in Reno), here's what I usually do. Sautee some diced onions and minced garlic in olive oil until translucent, then add the okra (cut into 1-inch pieces). When okra is half-cooked add a chopped tomato, s & p and a pinch of cayenne, cover and cook until it reaches the desired tenderness. For me it's less than 5 minutes.

Fried okra, man, with stone-ground cornmeal and plenty of salt! Slice some heirloom tomatoes for the side, and you're golden!

Art, have a pickling recipe you'd care to share? I love okra pickles, but have no idea as to the process.

Last night i cooked mussels in white wine, garlic, chilli and cream and served them together with shrimps and crab claws. Gorgeous food for a hot Scandinavian summer night.

Tonight I'm cooking a thai beef salad to be my contrbution to a 8 course all girls dinner.

Anne in Reno - make curry! Okra is great in all kinds of curry! I think we British are a bit hooked on Indian food...!

Bx,
A low-effort pork braise I often make in winter: chunks of pork shoulder, a bunch of big ol' carrots cut into chunks, a half-dozen smashed garlic cloves, half a bottle of red wine and herbs (I like to use some marjoram and sage). Brown pork chunks, dump everything else in and simmer about 45-60min.

I'm catching up on my blog recipes: cherry clafoutis and the fennel lemon garlic confit.

But I've got a question about that last one: Do the fennel fronds go in too? I'm a fennel-neophyte and need help.

Art, do you have a picked okra recipe?

Does anyone have recipes or ideas on what to do with all these tiny eggplants that are popping up at the farmer's market? Could they be simmered in tomato sauce?

Mmm, I think I might rebel against the hot weather and make gumbo, the recipes look so good! I have to hunt down some curry recipes too just to see what I can do! Thanks for all the great ideas guys!

Here's a pickled okra recipe from cooks.com

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1636,153175-229196,00.html

It gives a basic pickle recipe. I always make up my own as I go along. It depends on what type of flavor profile or what fresh ingredients I may have such as dill or chilies or shallots.

These are simple and really, really good. I have yet to try one in a bloody mary.

Fish tacos! With tomatoes from my one little pot.

Anything soft! I got my wisdom teeth out a few days ago and I truly cannot have any more pudding, ice cream, or squash puree. Help me!

Creamy tomato soup and a chocolate milkshake.

Black bean soup (maybe they have a really creamy one) with grated cheese melted in it and some sour cream.

A smoothie.

My mom's south carolina okra soup recipe (non vegetarian):

1. Wash and Slice your okra into rounds about 1/2 inch thick--you probably want about 2 cups or so
2. Brown some beef and diced onion and celery in soup pot--about a pound or so of meat (either ground or cubed will work--depending upon how quickly you want to eat the soup)
3. Add in a big can of stewed tomatoes (or use fresh ones that you have peeled--don't need to seed them)
4. Add 1 bag of frozen corn (or about 2 cups fresh corn)
5. Add any other veggies you want to, like limas or green beans....
6. Add your okra...
7. Season with lots of salt, pepper and lots of worchestershire sauce...add some cayenne pepper, tabasco or Frank's redhot
7. Simmer until okra is at desired tenderness--about an hour or more...the longer you simmer, the better!
(this is a good recipe for the crock pot--just brown the meat on the stove and combine everything in the crock pot and let it cook all day)
8. Eat it as a soup, or serve over white rice

Now my mom will make this with other meat, a soup bone or a ham hock....like any great cook, you use what you have at hand and improvise!

Michelle, I put about half the fennel fronds in my confit. (I updated the recipe to reflect this). I used the other half for garnish later with the chicken.

AMLitt - my sympathies - I had an awful time with wisdom teeth too. I mostly ate popsicles. But what about soup - a good chicken broth with a little spinach. Or miso udon noodle soup without any crunchy veggies, or a good bowl of pho. The noodles are soft enough that they shouldn't give you any trouble, and you'd feel like you'd had a real meal.

okra!
I just threw some tiny raw ones in my leftover Smolkra jar, and topped it off with vinegar. Smolkra is the very delicious but too expensive pickled okra sold by Rick's Picks at the NYC greenmarkets. I think the *secret* of those pickles is smoked hot paprika and garlic.

The rest of the okra I had got sliced and stirfried with a pattypan squash, miso, shiso, onions/garlic, mirin and tamari. The goo factor blends in, or seems minimized, with miso etc.

You can also do whole pods (no goo - don't even cut the tops off) with tomato, ginger and garlic. Most Indian cookbooks have a variation of that.

i feel your pain! I had my teeth cleaned last week; and ate applesauce and mashed potatoes with gravy for lunch.

other yummy soft things-

bananas, soups (creamy spinach soup-yum!), hummus, boiled carrots; wonton soup, etc.

good luck! you'll feel better sooner than you realize :)

Thanks everyone, the gumbo was a massive success, now I'm hoping for more mysteries in my CSA box if they all turn out as good as this one did!