Okra, you are truly lovely!
/ On a whim, I planted okra last spring. Katie and I have a fondness for it. I don't think anyone else is a big fan. I planted four plants and they've done beautifully. We always have enough pods ripe at the same time to fix a light lunch for the two of us.
Every Saturday, I buy okra from my favorite farmer at the market. It's a luxury to have enough okra to fix a proper side dish for the family. When I stop to think about it, I recognize that most of them barely touch it, so I'm pretty much just cooking okra for Katie and me to enjoy as leftovers.
I'd never seen okra grow before this season. I was happily astonished by its stunning flowers. Even if you aren't a fan of the "slime," or the fuzz, you have to admit, okra blossoms are beautiful and those pods make pretty cute floral-stars when sliced.
I think fried okra comes to mind for most people, but I'm not a big fan of things breaded and fried. Mary Beth tinkered with okra and tomatoes a few weeks ago and came up with this recipe. It takes polenta to delicious places.
- 36 okra pods, cut into 1/2 inch pieces with bottoms and tips discarded
- 4-6 full sized tomatoes, diced
- 6 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tube of premade polenta, cut into 1/2 inch thickness
- 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning
- 6 tablespoons of olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Heat your skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season okra with salt and pepper.
- Add okra to your skillet, frying it until it's just brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Next add another 2 tablespoons of olive oil to your skillet and add your tomatoes and green onions. Cook until carmelized. Add Italian seasoning. Remove the tomatoes and green onions from the skillet, cover them, and set aside.
- Wipe out your skillet so there are no tomato juices left. Fry the polenta in the remaining olive oil until brown and crispy. About 3-5 minutes each side.
- Remove polenta, top with browned okra and tomato mixture. Add more salt and pepper as needed.
