Ways to use up okra
Oct. 25th, 2014 02:13 pmIt always seems like the moment I figure out how to use up copious amounts of some vegetable, suddenly I'm living somewhere different and the hyperabundant vegetable is different and presents its own challenges.
Out here, it's been a summer of okra and spaghetti squash. We might be through the worst of the spaghetti squash, but I'm not sure about the okra. So far, we've made:
-Vegetarian gumbo (time-intensive and not everyone's favorite)
-Pickled okra (tasty, but not something we eat all the time)
-Fried Okra croquettes (.rtf)
-Maque choux, which got turned into a burrito filling in homemade burritos
-Cajun mac'n'cheese: roast the okra plus some onions and peppers for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees, then blend in the roasted veggies along with the cheese sauce
I am thinking the roasted okra could also get added to some other vegetable mixture put into burritos. Roasting okra cuts down on the slime, but doesn't completely eliminate it, though. The main reason the mac-n-cheese works is because the delicious cheesy-ness partially masks the okra slime. All of it takes time.
J has gotten good at roasting up the spaghetti squash and doing different things with it. One of the best items has been spaghetti squash pancakes, but if you make them without the onion they're tasty served either savory or sweet - I've mostly been eating them with a mixed vegetable sautee and vegetarian gravy. This recipe might convert some ambivalent spaghetti-squashers into true believers.
Now we've got a big pile of acorn squashes and butternut squashes. At least those will keep for a bit longer. I'm certain there's soup in our future.
Out here, it's been a summer of okra and spaghetti squash. We might be through the worst of the spaghetti squash, but I'm not sure about the okra. So far, we've made:
-Vegetarian gumbo (time-intensive and not everyone's favorite)
-Pickled okra (tasty, but not something we eat all the time)
-Fried Okra croquettes (.rtf)
-Maque choux, which got turned into a burrito filling in homemade burritos
-Cajun mac'n'cheese: roast the okra plus some onions and peppers for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees, then blend in the roasted veggies along with the cheese sauce
I am thinking the roasted okra could also get added to some other vegetable mixture put into burritos. Roasting okra cuts down on the slime, but doesn't completely eliminate it, though. The main reason the mac-n-cheese works is because the delicious cheesy-ness partially masks the okra slime. All of it takes time.
J has gotten good at roasting up the spaghetti squash and doing different things with it. One of the best items has been spaghetti squash pancakes, but if you make them without the onion they're tasty served either savory or sweet - I've mostly been eating them with a mixed vegetable sautee and vegetarian gravy. This recipe might convert some ambivalent spaghetti-squashers into true believers.
Now we've got a big pile of acorn squashes and butternut squashes. At least those will keep for a bit longer. I'm certain there's soup in our future.