Monday Morning Mirth
The crock pot festival continues here at Chez Chic! This weekend’s glorious cauldron was a gumbo-y hot mess, full of chicken, the creole holy trinity, one polish sausage link, tomatoes and what you see above…
At the grocery store, three clerks knew not its fame (nor cared) when I pleaded with them to find it. As I wandered about, a manager came to find me and showed me with great pride, a jar full of pickled ones, not good for what I was seeking but FABULOUS with Zapp’s Cajun Dill potato chips. I ended up finding these in the freezer section.
Name this vegetable, neglected and forlorn, scorned by many, loved by me — it cooked down into a fine flavorsome merge with the rest of the pot and added an nice thickening to the stew.
While you’re at it, name your favorite, but neglected vegetable…
I am late on the punch here, but that is okra. Definitely not one of my favorites. I have added it to gumbo before, but don’t think it has much flavor. Down here in the south folks boil it into a slimy, mucus-y mess and eat it plain, also. GROSS! Some batter it and fry it, also, so it just takes like a chunk of fried-something-or-other.
It’s okra of course! Any good Southerner knows that! And favorite neglected veggie – parnsips. Sweet and particularly yummy oven roasted with turnips, beets, onions, and sweet potatoes. (Although technically I think it’s a tuber).
Okra!
Okra , which I have never tried . My favorite neglected is fresh asparagus , best spring vegetable.
That’s okra–great for gumbo, not for steaming, and I like it fried. Cabbage is lately in my radar–fresh angel hair unadorned green cabbage in fish tacos. And my 9 year old son recently conceded he’d eat brussels sprouts twice a year the way I cooked them.
not appreciated as a child but loved as an adult, my grandmother fixed it for the holidays – rutabaga! mashed with butter and sugar, please. i have never tried okra, will have to see if groceries carry it here.
Okra, ever had it bake? Just wash, a little sea salt, bake till golden. So great and no slimy stuff…
We LOVE okra – we cut it up and throw it into a hot, heavy cast iron skillet with a little Tony Cachero’s seasoning (cajun seasoning of course!) We toss it around for about 10 minutes until it is tender. It has a great flavor – there’s no “slime” when it is cooked this way.
My favorite underrated veggies is jicama – I love it cut up into match sticks and tossed with shredded raw cabbage, mango, jalepenos, red onions, a tiny bit of honey and lime juice. It makes a hot and slightly sweet slaw that is packed up flavor and healthy for you!
I love pickled okra! We grow it in the garden in summer and eat it almost every day cut up, rolled in cornmeal, and fried. And I cut it up and freeze it for gumbo, or use it fresh for gumbo, but I’ve never thought to use pickled okra in gumbo! What an interesting idea!
My favorite neglected vegetable would have to be rutabaga – a sharp, tangy flavor that pairs perfectly with crumbled bacon!