Off the Grocery Shelves: Okra

Okra has only recently entered my repertoire, kicking off the Vegan Month of Food! But because of my new-found attachment to this vegetable, I thought it would be interesting to explore a bit further. The red okra at the community farm spurred my interest in this topic. Okra is not something one would regularly find in a supermarket produce section, not even necessarily a Whole Foods. But this pod has classically been used in Southern cooking and can be happened upon in ethnic markets.

The plant stems from the ancient region now known as Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Sudan. In fact, the preparation in a "meal" batter as generally used in Southern cuisine hails from this Northern African center of origin.

Okra, too, has its share of exciting varieties. From the Red Burgundy's crimson pods to the Cow Horn that can reach eight feet high! Well, reaping the benefits of some pretty tall okra at the farm, on Sunday we prepped some fun okra fritters (non-vegan). These were so enticing that I decided to dig up a few a recipes to try out in the coming week:

• Fold-over corn pancakes with okra
• Okra fritters with horseradish cream
• Indian-inspired okra fritters

Down to a week left of Vegan MoFo!!

Cookbook Mondays: Best of Bloodroot V.II

Cookbooks come in all shapes and sizes. There are the hard-bound volumes, with glossy pages, and crisp photos. There are thin-paged tomes, with more words than your favorite epic novel. Some have illustrations; some have stories. While I love beautiful food photography, the cookbooks I keep returning to are pretty unassuming, low 'fluff' guides to cooking good food.

The Best of Bloodroot Volume Two: Vegan Recipes is one of those. Born out of a small veggie restaurant out in Connecticut, this cookbook has a very DIY attitude to food. It is organized by season, which is fantastic, and has a really great variety of cuisines. The other nifty bit is that a large portion of the baked goods call for a sourdough starter...not your usual chocolate cake!

I gave okra a shot - my first time prepping it! It is suspected that okra originated in Africa (or possibly south Asia), and spread to the U.S. along with the 17th century slave trade. You can probably see how it has become a staple of good ol' Southern home cooking! Too avoid the sliminess that follows cooking the mucilaginous seeds, a quick fry is recommended. I tried the 'dry roasted okra' in the book, modifying the spices slightly. My version is included below:

3 lbs baby okra
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 tsp curry powder (or your own mix of turmeric, cumin, coriander, etc.)
1 1/2 tsp salt

1. Stem and slice okra in about 1/4 inch pieces. Heat oil over medium heat and cook until crispy. The hotter the oil, the faster it crisps. DON'T add water.
2. Season okra in the last five or so minutes and let spices cook into it. Serve warm with some tasty grain (quinoa?) and curried mung beans.

What else can I do with okra?

Pickle it!
Fry it!
Braise it!
Gumbo it up times two!
Or just eat the darn thing raw!

What an exciting adventure!