It’s summer, and all over the South, okra is coming out of gardens by the bushel. My Mom always had us pick them small, so that they were tender. But often you just can’t get them that way, and okra smothered with tomatoes and cooked slow come up as tender as can be.
Okra originated in either Africa or Asia; there are proponents for both arguments. It is a popular ingredient in Indian cuisine.
One thing is certain — it arrived in America through the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It is of the mallow family, and is related to cotton, hibiscus, and cocoa. Thomas Jefferson, who was an avid gardner, notes okra in his garden as early as 1781. His daughter Martha left a recipe for okra soup, which was in effect, a gumbo.
The word “Gumbo” almost certainly originates from an African word for okra, as it is called (ki)ngombo in Bantu languages. Okra is regularly used as a thickening agent in many creole gumbos.
By the early 1800’s okra was commonplace throughout the American South. It appears today in many forms: most commonly fried, pickled, stewed, and in our beloved gumbo.
One day, I’ll get around to telling some Miss Ida stories, but for now, let’s just say she made a wicked stewed okra and tomatoes.
This is an old southern recipe and it involves a little bacon grease. If you absolutely must, use canola oil instead.
But Miss Ida would tell you that we keep drippings on hand for a reason. And this is definitely one of them.
Miss Ida's Okra and Tomatoes
- 1 lb. of okra, (washed and sliced – 1/2 inch cut)
- 1 large yellow onion, (sliced – 1 1/2 inch cut)
- 2 Tbsp. bacon grease
- Juice of 1/4 of a lemon
- 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- Salt to taste (( Lawry's seasoned salt if you can get it, otherwise sea salt))
- black pepper, (to taste)
- 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- Put the bacon grease into saucepan on medium-high heat. Saute onion and okra together until the onion becomes slightly translucent. The okra will be ropy at this point. Takes about 8 minutes.
- Add Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and stir well. Cook for another 2 minutes. Then add the canned tomatoes and the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover the pot.
- Cook on low for 40 minutes. I normally stir about halfway through. Taste, adjust seasoning. Possibly add a small squeeze of lemon — it sometimes needs a little more acid. Serve.
Can easily be cooked ahead and re-heated. As with many stews it tastes even better the second day! Also freezes well.
Serves 4 to 6, depending on other dishes served.
Bacon grease provides flavor to many southern recipes.
In the days when eggs were evil, butter was anathema, and low fat cooking was “only” key to a healthy diet, many of us got rid our our bacon grease cans. Mine is back. And my attitude is this: unless you are on a restricted diet for health reasons, you can use a little bacon grease every now and then and not feel guilty!
Pour off the grease into your jar, whenever you cook bacon. Then when you need it, you’ve got it. And it keeps a long, long time.
My daughter-in-law is always trying to convince me to love okra. I just don’t. But she does. She grew up in Georgia and Texas and okra is comfort food to her the same way Cincinnati chili is to me.
It’s one of those things. Often it’s a huge love, or a “please, no.” And that’s okay, it’s food. And it’s something you you should like, or not have to eat!
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