I think smallish pods (2") are best... not quite so fibrous. I have a delicious recipe from Mama D's that is basically:
fresh chopped tomatoes
halved and sliced onions, ((((
okra sliced in rings ooo
and a little garlic ,,,,,,,,,
salt & pepper
all sautéed together to make a side dish.... nothing overdone.

I only like it fried and it has to be fried really good to get rid of the slime factor. I know a lot of people pickle it down here so that could be an option too.

David

Alton Brown's recipe for dry fried okra (which I think I posted here once) is excellent. Fried okra is the best.

I slice it 1/2 thick then dredge in equal amounts stone ground cornmeal and ap flour. Add seasoning salt to taste. Film a heavy, dark jelly roll pan with canola oil and with your hands lift out the okra and shake off excess flour. Place on pan, don't stir and bake at 375 for approx. 45 minutes total.
After 15 minutes carefully flip the okra around and return to oven. Stir again after another 15 minutes or so.
This is really good! Not the least bit slimy at all.

I find it an essential ingredient in gumbo, which is an African word for okra. It is also excellent in Okra Parmigiano, which is easier to make than the eggplant version. Fried okra is another favorite, but I don't have a recipe written down.

I haven't pickled okra myself, but I do buy them already pickled.

Lars

GUMBO, GUMBO, GUMBO!!!

If you want to go further afield, I fry my okra the way they do in India.

This recipe is from, "Savoring India" by Williams Sonoma:

Crisp Shoestring Okra

2 lb young, tender okra
2 t mango powder or lemon juice
1 t garam masala
1/4 t powdered asafetida or powdered garlic
1/2 c chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
1 1/2 t salt
2 t chat masala or 1 t ground black pepper
vegetable oil for deep frying

Stem okra & slice each pod lengthwise into quarters. Place the pieces in a large bowl.

In a small dish, mix together the mango powder, garam masala and asafetida. Sprinkle over the okra, then toss and rub to coat the okra thoroughly with the spice mixture. Transfer to a large baking sheet and spread the okra in a single layer. Sprinkle the okra with the chickpea four, preferably using a fine mesh sifter or a sieve. Toss and roll the pieces to coat all of them with a light, even layer of the flour.

In a mortar, blender or coffee grinder combine the salt and chat masala and process until finely powdered.

In a large pan, pour an inch of vegetable oil and warm over medium high heat to 375 degrees. Fry the okra, turning it with tongs until lightly browned and cooked...about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels or a rack & sprinkle with the salt & chat masala mixture. Serve warm.

Garam Masala & Chat Masala (sometimes spelled Chaat Masala) are Indian spice mixtures that you can buy from Indian stores or good on-line spice companies. You can also make them, although they're the kind of recipes that every housewife makes a little differently. Here is William's Sonoma's recipe for Garam Masala:

Garam Masala

2 T cumin seeds
2 T coriander seeds
2 T black peppercorns
1 T cardamom seeds
1 t whole cloves
1 t whole cloves
3 inch cinnamon stick, broken into bits
1 t grated nutmeg
1/2 t saffron threads

In a dry iron fry pan, combine the cumin, coriander, peppercorns, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon over a medium high heat. Shake the pan constantly to prevent the spices from burning until they are smoking, fragrant and turn several shades darker...about 6 minutes. Pour them into a bowl, add the nutmeg & saffron and let them cool completely. Grind the spices in a blender or coffee grinder until finely powdered.

I don't remember where I got this recipe.

Chat Masala

4 T coriander seeds
2 T cumin seeds
1 t ajwain
3 T black salt
1 T amchoor (mango powder)
2 dried red chilies (hot)
1 t black peppercorns
1 t pomegranate seeds (dried)

Dry roast the coriander until aromatic. Then do the same, separately for the cumin and the ajwain. Grind the mix into a fine powder and mix with the other ingredients.

Family favorite!
BAKED OKRA AND CHEESE

2 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen whole okra, partially thawed
I Use fresh, just enough to layer the bottom of pan
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp. butter, don't use the butter
4 slices bacon, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Place okra in a single layer in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper Arrange bacon over okra and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Remove foil. Place under broiler until bacon is brown. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes.

I posted a simple gumbo recipe on the thread which asked for ideas about what to do with a pound of crab meat. Gumbo to me is the ultimate use of okra and normally I would make it with several kinds of seafood and probably throw in some andouille or linguica for good measure.

Okra is one of my favorite garden crops. It produces like crazy and is so useful. The variety Emerald has been the best for my circumstances. Different varieties of okra can be grown to different sizes before becoming fibrous. Some must be picked very small. Pods of Emerald can grow to 5 or 6 inches without losing quality. That works out well for pickled okra, which fits nicely standing on end in a pint jar.

Pickled okra is not difficult to make and is very good. It can be made a jarful at a time to make use sporadic harvests from a garden because it doesn't require processing if kept in the fridge.

A very simple preparation is okra cooked with tomatoes and onions. This makes a nice side dish. The tomatoes can be fresh or canned. Other vegetables which are ripening in the garden at the same time as okra, such as chile peppers, can be added. Lots of good combinations can be improvised. Include some herbs and EVOO. It is not slimy.

Fried okra is not my favorite, but I have not been known to turn away okra in any form.

Jim

Okra is one of my favorite foods. I used to love boiled okra drizzled with distilled white vinegar. But we can't get really good okra out here, it's not slimey enough for this!

Glenda, I'd like to try your recipe but I don't get the butter part -- "don't use the butter" -- what do you do with it?

My okra prep is very simply.

It involves tossing it in the trash.

I know a lot of people who love the stuff, but I can't stand it.

kframe, I use the same recipe, LOL.

I've tried it fried and baked, boiled, pickled, every which way. I just don't like it. No matter what is done to it, it's still slimy.

Yeah, yeah, I know, "it wasn't cooked right". I've had it prepared by my ex-MIL from Kentucky, Elery's sister from Tennessee, my ex-secretary from Oklahoma. I even cooked it a couple of times myself. It's not as slimy as raw oysters, but it's still slimy.

Annie

We like to fry okra one of two ways, both of which you wash okra well well first, then slice and toss with yellow cornmeal and a little salt. Toss immediately after you remove from water so cornmeal adheres better.

Method one: fry alone.

Method two: fry with small cubed potatoes and chopped onions.

If your grease is hot enough, you won't end up with any slime when fried.

I like pickled okra, too, but have never found a good recipe for it. If anyone has one, would love to have it.

I never knew there was so much to do with okra. I will try growing it next year. Slimy doesn't scare me so long as it doesn't taste like guacomole! I know I like okra in Jambolaya & Gumbo!

dlynn, reason I said "don't use the butter".
Meant I DON'T use the butter, cause with the grease from the bacon, you don't need the butter.

Recipe I use is from Southern Living, and theirs does not call for butter. This one is identical, except the above one calls for butter.

The only way I like it is to slice up a few pods and throw into a pot of a certain soup I make.

Basically you brown a bit of spicy pork sausage then add a chopped onion, celery, and bell pepper. Sweat this for a bit. Add the sliced okra.

Then I remove that from the pot and add some oil or butter and flour. Stir and cook this roux until it is reddish brown. Add the previously cooked/sweated ingredients and stir well. Add several cups of good chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and simmer until everything is nice and tender and the flavours have blended. Stir in some cooked shredded chicken or if I have leftover carnitas (pork) I use that.

Add salt and pepper to taste, but usually the sausage is spicy and salty enough. Some cajun/creole seasoning could also be added. But really, I've never had to add too much because the roux and the sausage flavour this.

The okra gets very tender and is not slimey because all that dissolved to add to the thickness of the soup. Plus some of the "seeds" come out and develop a texture almost like a cooked bean. Very interesting.

You call it "a certain soup I make". I call it gumbo. Either way, it's wonderful stuff.

Jim

I'm not a regular on this forum but I couldn't resist chiming in on this one.

I have never been very happy with okra rolled in dry cornmeal or in a blend of cornmeal and flour, and then fried. It seems like all the cornmeal falls off the okra. This is ok, still tastes good, but isn't like the frozen breaded okra from the store.

I do something that comes closer to what I want by mixing up about half a box of Jiffy cornmeal muffin mix, or making half a recipe of cornbread, if I'm cooking from scratch. I cut my raw okra into this mixture and stir till combined. Put oil or bacon drippings in the skillet, get it hot and then pour the okra and batter into that. Don't stir until it looks like the batter has begun to set up. When the batter is crispy, it's done. You can even makes little individual patties if you prefer.

I don't like slimey, either, but I have found that if the okra is paired with something acidic, like tomatoes, the slime goes away and the okra serves to thicken the mixture somewhat. I just love a good pot of vegetable soup thickened with okra, in the winter. It doesn't even really need meat, but you can add beef chunks, ground beef, sausage or chicken -- whatever you like.

I'm going to try that Okra Parmesan, as I have a garden full of okra just beginning to bloom. DH is worried that we will have too much. --Ilene

I thought the slime was okra's primary charm! I've not had any in front of me in many years.

I'll have to try some. I don't eat fried food unless it's the few French fries I swipe from someone else's plate. I'll have to try that sautée with onions and 'maters.

my daughter likes it fried in cornmeal (no flour)... but my favorite way is Ham and Veggie Soup. I buy a big ole ham just so I can have a bone with several pounds of meat. Prefer to make it in the summer when the tomatoes, corn, butterbeans and OKRA are fresh. Also love it in the winter when I use Canned tomatoes, frozen corn, butter beans and OKRA. I make a huge pot and pig out for days. Kay

Boiled, fried, pickled, in gumbo, I love okra any way and in any form.

Local gourmet burger place serves fantastic sweet potato fries with fried okra as a topping to the taters. Weird, but good!

Most methods of prep have been covered...I like to take fresh garlic & chopped onions and saute them in bacon grease until the onions are tender. Add sliced okra and continue to saute until it starts getting tender. Add a can of chopped or diced tomatoes including the juice. S&P to taste.
As for "ripe"...okra does not ripen like most veggies or fruits. If you live in a hot climate, when the okra starts to produce you need to check the plants DAILY & pick the okra. As stated above, pods about 2" long are about the right size. If they get much larger they get really tough. BTW.. a few seeds goes a long way. I planted 2 packages this summer. I am in Texas and the heat is on now with 100+ plus temps. My okra is thriving while everything else is dying. I am picking daily & getting about 1/2 pound to 1 pound DAILY. Enjoy!

What Jim said, we love okra, fried, boiled, pickled or in gumbo.

I freeze okra, sliced and coated with corn meal to fry. I pickle the small pods and freeze a few bags for gumbo.

We also like the small pods sauted with garlic and tomatoes.

Did I say we like okra!

I've found a way to cut back on okra slime. For gumbo & stews, slice okra into bite sized pieces & add to rapidly boiling water. Return water to a boil & then drain & rinse in a colandar. Repeat this process a 2nd time & then add to stew or gumbo.

For fried okra, slice okra into about 1/2" pieces, coat really well in cornmeal with a little flour added. Heat bacon grease in cast iron skillet. After the grease is good & hot, add okra (grease can pop on you, so be careful) stir-fry okra, salt & pepper to taste, reduce heat to about medium to med/high & cook until okra is good & brown.

I am the seed developer of Heavy Hitter Okra. People from all over the world, send me okra recipes, so I have posted 4 pages of them online at: http://seedsavingnetwork.proboards.com/thread/82/okra-recipies?page=1 You can obtain Heavy Hitter Okra Seeds by visiting: https://www.drycreekfarmstore.com/ Heavy Hitter Okra has been featured in such books as Chris Smith's "The Whole Okra: A Seed to Stem Celebration" His book is Another good source of okra recipes. Enjoy a full Summer's worth of free okra recipes on us!

Wow. That's a great collection of okra recipes. I'm glad you brought this thread back. In Texas we can get it year round. Lately I've just been roasting in the oven with salt and pepper and olive oil. Yummy.

For baked (fried) okra without the oil... - I can't stand it just tasting like breading, so I cut off the ends that connect to the stems, and to minimize any slime, I slice them longitudinally in half. You do not need to cut them into quarter inch or half inch things, which once breaded will simply be heavy breading!

Here is a Paleo recipe with some suggestion for regular wheat etc.:

15-20 okra, about 2-2.5 inches long. Remove tops, cut them in half lengthwise. If they are longer than that, you can cut them once again crosswise. Usually, the smaller okra are more tender.

1/4 cup arrowroot powder, coconut flour or AP flour. Prepare to need more...

1 egg, beaten,

1/3 cup coconut flakes, or corn meal, or pulverized bread crumbs.

Salt and pepper to taste - you can add other seasonings as desired, perhaps a hint of cumin.

Just please don't ruin the okra by chopping them into small bits that will turn them into a Cracker Barrel misery.

Preheat oven to 350 F/ 177 C.

Set up bowls or plates for the arrowroot (or flour), egg, and coconut flakes (or breadcrumb/cornmeal). Either season the last bowl now or wait until the okra is in the pan.

Roll the okra through the arrowroot or regular flour, then the egg, then the coconut flakes or bread crumbs/cornmeal.

Lay outside surface up in a baking pan, one layer only.

Cook for 10-12 minutes, or until coconut turns gently brown. Keep an eye on the oven.

Conclusion: this recipe does not at all taste like that from Cracker Barrel, so if you were wanting that, please seek elsewhere. (Note, after 20 some years, I still remember how greasy and awful that breading-thing tasted… and the fact there was absolutely NO okra taste, slimy or not, whatsoever!)

You could deep fat fry them, but I tend not to do so.