okra okra everywhere

The farmer's markets around here seem to have everything going on except for one thing...OKRA. Elizabeth brought up a whole mess of okra from her parent's veg patch and we decided to cook up some fried okra and gumbo.

Super Fresh on 5th and Spruce had a sale on some massive 16/25 shrimp. We shelled it and boiled it to make a stock. While Elizabeth chopped the celery, onion and garlic for some aromatics to sautee, I cooked up the sausage, reserving the grease for her to sautee. I made a simple roux, which I then blended with the seafood stock. We threw in the stock with the sautee and added a bunch of chili and cayenne. Throw in a can of crushed tomatoes and close the lid. 10 minutes later, toss in the shrimp and okra to simmer for another 15 minutes while the flavors marry.

(One note...Throwdown with Bobby Flay was on the TV tonight and the Gumbo queen of New 'Awlins said you should ALWAYS sautee the okra before adding it to the gumbo)

Elizabeth started chopping her okra. She has a special technique; don't cut pinwheels, but simply chop the top off and leave it whole. Dip in milk then salted flour and you're ready to fry.

With the rice-maker bubbling away in the corner and the okra frying away happily in the pan, we were all set for our okra dinner.

I can't wait to take some of these leftovers into work tomorrow for my co-workers to drool over; I don't think okra and gumbo are everyday foods in Philadelphia.


C & E