Receta Hated Foods: OKRA
I'm not from the south, as we know, so I've had little contact with the "biscuits and gravy" sort of diet. I had okra once in a gumbo at Emeril's restaurant in Florida once. That's about as southern as I get.
After getting okra as a "hated food" several times, and my lack of experience with it, I knew I had to tackle this one first. I spoke to my southern friends (shout out to Jessica and Shannon) and learned more about mint juleps than okra, but I was comforted that okra CAN be great.
It is all about preparation with this one and I knew I needed to do some research. I ordered okra two different ways in restaurants, one good, one not. I tasted the slime, I tasted the crunch and I was ready to get into the kitchen.
I tried this recipe with three different variations: sliced in half and pan-fried, whole and pan-fried and whole and roasted. One way stood out among the rest. It was crunchy, slime-less and my take on southern.
ROASTED CORNMEAL & "BUTTERMILK" ENCRUSTED OKRA
Gluten-free and Vegan
Cook time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4 appetizers
- 1/2 LB. okra, washed and whole
- 1/3 cup cornmeal
- 1/4 cup corn grits (Bob's)
- 1/2 cup coconut cream (SoDelicious)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup grapeseed oil vegenaise
- 1 teaspoon blend: paprika, cayenne, sea salt and garlic powder
1. Clean okra and dry. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Mix cornmeal, cajun mix and corn grits in a medium-sized bowl. In another bowl mix coconut cream and vinegar to make buttermilk.
3. Create an assembly line of okra, buttermilk, corn mix and baking sheet. Dip okra in buttermilk, then coat with corn mix and place on baking sheet. Do this for each.
4. Season with sea salt and pepper + roast for 20-25 minutes or until crispy. Dip in grapeseed oil vegenaise topped with paprika.