Okra, Two Delicious Ways

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Okra is a vegetable that falls into one of three categories of love it, hate it or what the heck is it?  People who don't like it mention its sliminess and people who love it usually grew up with it.  Those who don't know what it is probably did not grow up in the south.  I fall into the category of "I grew up with it" and love it. Okra is a vegetable that originated in Africa and grows in more temperate climates such as the southern United States.  For me it is hard to choose a favorite vegetable dish, but if I had to it would be my Granny's fried okra.  I grew up going to my grandmothers house for Sunday dinners and I always had creamed corn, fried okra, corn bread, cantelope (during the summer) and black eyed peas.  I never wavered on this, ever.  My grandfather had a garden and a large freezer the size of most people's back porch.  It was always full at the end of summer and lasted throughout the winter with plenty to share with family and friends.

Creamed Corn with roasted peppers

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 White corn was used for this dish, probably Silver King.

Fresh corn is best grilled or boiled on the cob, seasoned with butter, salt and pepper.  Maybe some lime, pure chili powder and cumin might make an appearence!  There are other seasonings that enhance the simple deliciousness of corn but in my opinion, it is always best to keep it simple, quickly cooked and a few ingredients.  This year, because of the lack of rainfall in the northeast, corn was not at its best at the start of the season.  Some of the first corn I purchased at the market was small, dry and some of the kernels were hollow.  Not too promising.  Thank goodness, rain came and corn, along with other produce, improved.

When growing up, we hardly ever had corn on the cob.  It was always creamed corn.  Now I wonder why?  It probably is a uncomplicated reason like it is just how my Granny and Mom did it.  But now in my house the first corn on the cob is a seasonal event.  After a while of indulging on fresh corn on the cob, it is time to move on!  Now comes the creamed version along with the process of freezing portions to use through out the year in some of my favorite recipes. 

This recipe is way too ridiculously easy except for cutting the corn off of the cob.  That is always a pain.  Shucking the corn is a little messy which I do outside or preferably at the market where I buy it because they compost it.  If I am going to shuck, cut and prepare corn for creamed corn then doing extra for freezer storage kills two birds with one stone. I will reap the reward later!

For Creamed Corn:
makes a good amount  or 8 - 10 servings

2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup milk, whole is preferred but 1% to half and half will work.
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
fresh ground pepper
4 cups of corn kernels (exact measurement not necessary), about 6 ears corn

1 to 2 roasted poblano chilies, roasted green New Mexico chili  or roasted red pepper
     (optional, canned whole roasted chilies work well here)

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat.  Add the flour, stirring constantly for about a minute.  Add the milk in a steady stream, constantly whisking.  Add the corn, roasted pepper (if using) and salt after the milk has thickened and the roasted pepper.  Simmer for a couple of minutes until the corn is slightly cooked.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Notes:

• Milk.  The higher fat milk used will produce a thicker, richer end result.  Alternatively for a truly indulgent creamed corn, 1/4 to 1/2 cup of heavy cream can be used in place of the butter, flour, and milk.  Just heat the cream,  add the corn, simmer until you like the consistency and season.
• You might ask what do I freeze corn for?  Mostly for three different dishes:  it is a delicious addition to cornbread, cornmeal pancakes with whole corn (it is just not the same without it) and corn pudding for Thanksgiving.

Summer Squash Casserole

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Summer yellow squash is perfect for this dish.  In fact, I can't think of another way to eat yellow squash that is anywhere near as good.  Yellow squash is not usually a first choice vegetable for me unless it is in this casserole.  Zucchini is a whole other story and blog post!  This recipe is one of the understated, humble classics of southern dishes.

Zucchini Pancakes

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Zucchini seems to be taking over our gardens,  CSA baskets, farmer's markets and consequently our kitchens.  Here is little info on zucchini and a simple and quick recipe that will help with all that zucchini!

For thousands of years zucchini has been eaten in Central and South American countries but has only been a widely consumed vegetable in North America for about 30 years.  The variety that is grown here is a green Italian squash.  There are many types of zucchini grown these days but the most common is still the summer green zucchini.  It can grown up to a meter long but is best picked around 8 inches (20 cm) while the seeds are still soft and small.  In honor of this prolific vegetable, here is a recipe for zucchini pancakes that does this mild vegetable justice.

A Southern Table: Dill Pickles

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Pickling cucumbers are in the local farmers markets and you know what that means, don't you?  Time to make some dill pickles.  When I make pickles I have to hide them from my husband or he will eat every last one before anyone notices.  My family enjoys them and I like to use them in recipes and have them on hand for grilling and barbecues if there are any left.

Here are a couple of interesting tidbits about pickles:

Did you know that dill pickles out sell sweet pickles 2 to 1?  I didn't, I thought it was the other way around.

Did you know that the word "pickle" was derived from the middle English word "pikel" which was originally was a spicy meat sauce that accompanied meat?  Me neither!  I have read that when it was hard to preserve meats that sauces and spices were used to mask the unpleasant flavor or odor of the meat.  Sounds appealing, eh?

Did you know that pickles played a role in the discovery of America in 1492?  An Italian merchant and explorer named Amerigo Vespucci was involved with Columbus's voyage and stocked the ship with vitamin C rich pickles.  At the time, a vitamin C deficient disease called scurvy was cause for the failure of many voyages.  Vitamin C is not at its peak levels in pickled food but is enough to prevent scurvy outbreaks which were fatal at the time.  It is also believed that America was named after this merchant/explorer's name, Amerigo.

Toasted White Beans and Greens

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 This is a bowl of homemade white beans and kale.

I love sauteed greens so I am always interested in new ways to prepare them.  If garlic is involved, all the better.  Swiss chard and kale are definitely favorites of mine to cook with.  Turnip greens not so much.

Growing up my Granny used to make turnip greens or collards.  She boiled the stink out of them, literally.  I never really cared for them and don't really remember eating them very often, if ever.  It was the classic southern recipe of chopped turnip greens, ham hocks, vinegar and some sugar.  They always seemed so lifeless and unappealing.  I know some of you out there think, well she probably wasn't a good cook because turnip greens are awesome.  It's me, Granny was a fabulous cook.  I truly looked forward to our family dinners at my grandparent's house.  It was always a smorgasbord of southern dishes made with fresh garden vegetables from my Poppy's acre garden.

So one day I was putzing around at the library and I picked up a copy of Super Natural Cooking written by Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks.  I found her recipe for white beans and kale and it looked interesting so I tried it.  I made it with Swiss chard and made a few changes to simplify this recipe even more.  It was so delicious that it became the main focus of the meal that night.  It is an easy, nutrient dense, delicious recipe that I have made many times since.

Cranberry Chutney - 2 versions

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 Cranberry Chutney flavored with apple, orange and spices

This year I wanted to shake things up a bit because that is just what I do.  I always change up something. I don't really follow recipes so I get to cook how I am feeling which is nice and luckily no one complains!   Most dishes that I fix at Thanksgiving are fundamentally the same.  A brined bird, cornbread stuffing with sage, mushroom gravy, sweet potatoes with marshmellows on top (I think this dish is nasty sweet and I will not eat it but it is one of the first things finished!), homemade rolls, and a few veggie side dishes like brussels sprouts, creamed spinach or green beans. Oh yeah, and chocolate pecan pie=total and complete YUM.  There are flavor variations every year that differ.  Pecans or sausage in the cornbread dressing, mushroom gravy with sage or thyme, pecan pie flavored with vanilla or rum and this year the sweet potatoes are getting a do over (those Marshmellows might have to go!)

This year the cranberry sauce is going to be replaced with cranberry chutney.  I am not really sure how one is different from the other because one of these recipes is similar to cranberry sauce I have been making for years.  Maybe I have been making chutney all along. 

I have made two kinds. One is on the sweet, orange flavored type (a lot like the classic sauce I have been making for years) and one is more savory.  The savory one contains celery and onions but is still sweet and tangy.  The orange flavored one is my favorite, I think.  I reserve the right to change my mind!  It contains chopped fruit, orange liquor and spices.  They both sat in the refrigerator for a couple of days and the flavors improved quite a bit.  The savory one did not taste that great the day after I made it and I almost threw it away.  I am glad I didn't.  It still has crunchy celery after several days which I didn't expect and it taste fabulous.  It seems you taste the flavors separately when you taste either one of these recipes right after you make them.  After they have been in the frig for a couple of days the flavors just seem to come together as one.