Okra, Corn and Tomatoes

Making use of plentiful summer produce, I concocted this tasty vegetable dish to share at Sunday's Fellowship Meal.

Okra and Tomatoes were compliments of neighboring gardeners.

Corn kernels ~ frozen.... (sigh).   But their color and shape enhance the combination immensely.  In addition, they're nutritious.

Okay, this recipe is a keeper, precisely because it was not.slimy.at.all.

That means, if you think you don't like stewed okra, you should try this recipe anyway.

This first detail seems to be important.  So, dont skip it.

For 30 minutes (or about the amount of time it takes to prepare the other ingredients), soak in ice cold water (to which 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice has been added) 8 cups sliced fresh okra.

In the meantime, peel, seed, and chopped enough fresh tomatoes to equal 4 cups.

Then in a very large saucepan, saute 1 large chopped sweet onion and 3 cloves minced garlic in 3 Tbs safflower oil until translucent.

Drain the okra and add to the sauteed onions.  Add 3/4 cup water and cook for 30 minutes, stirring often.

When the okra is soft, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for five more minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add 16 oz frozen corn.  Cover and allow medley to *stew* before serving.

Baked Ratatouille














The recipe for this side-dish is an adaptation of my squash casserole recipe and the ratatouille was leftover last summer. Here's the link for the Ratatouille adventure. I just defrosted it (sans sausage), drained it a bit before proceeding with the eggs, butter, cheese, and cracker crumbs.

This recipe is a keeper.

Garlicky Spinach

2 - 20 oz bags Spinach
1 Tbs Oil
2 Tbs Butter
2 cloves garlic, pressed

In large frying pan or deep stock pot, melt butter with oil and saute garlic until the flavors blend (approx 1 min). Add spinach and cover. Steam until tender, stirring occasionally. This takes less than five minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 6.

Pole Beans

4 lbs, washed, steamed, and *strung* Steam in pressure cooker with 1 C water. When the top of the pressure cooker starts to jiggle, turn off the heat. Cool cooker under stream of cold water to stop the cooking process. Transfer to serving dish. These beans should retain their bright green coloring.

Cauliflower


3 large heads Break apart, discarding stem and leaves. Wash and trim into bite-sized flowerettes. Arrange in pyrex dish. Cover tightly with saran. Steam in the microwave on high in 5 min increments. It may take two sessions for this large quantity. Saran should puff into a *hot-air balloon* shape while the microwave is running. When it stops, the saran will sink down, creating a seal or suctioned-down effect over veggies. Release the saran to keep the veggies from becoming flattened :) I start cooking the cauliflower when I tell everyone it's time to wash their hands. It takes about ten minutes for a crowd to get to the serving line, which is just enough time for the cauliflower to be cooked and served steamingly hot.

Green Beans Almondine















Wash and snap 3 lbs of green beans. Steam in pressure cooker, cooking immediately when the bell begins to rock.

Saute 1/2 cup slivered almonds in 4 Tbs butter until golden brown.

Toss beans with toasted almonds.