Referring to an Oct. 27 Forum regarding an SOS from Leann Aleia of Mill Creek, Ann Kool of Camano Island writes, “I laughed out loud when I read your article concerning okra simply because being a Southerner, I am very familiar with the term “deslime the okra.’ I never realized until a couple of years ago that there was perhaps a less offensive terminology to describe it. I ran across it in a cookbook I bought written by Marian Morash, the best-selling author of “The Victory Garden Cookbook.’ The book is ‘The Victory Garden Fish and Vegetable Cookbook.’
“In her recipe for shrimp gumbo, which by the way is excellent, you will find the following paragraph: ‘Wash and trim the okra and cut it into 1-inch pieces. Heat the bacon fat or vegetable oil in a deep saute pan, add the okra and saute it for 5-10 minutes, or until it is lightly browned and has stopped roping, or giving off strings of almost colorless material. Drain the okra and reserve. In the same pan, melt the butter, add the garlic, onions, peppers and celery and cook until the vegetables are wilted. Stir in the tomatoes and reserved ham stock, bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.’”
Ann adds, “Until this point, I had never heard the term ‘roping’ but, yes, the method is pretty much the same. It keeps the okra from being, well, slimy. Okra can be eaten either way. I like okra battered and fried crisp or boiled. I hope this will answer the question from Leann.”
And we hear from Davi Martin, “I saw your question about okra in the Oct. 27 Forum. I lived in the South for quite a while, and actually like okra, but you are right, it can be slimy. When it is breaded and deep-fried, it isn’t slimy and really yummy, but it has to be young and small. Pickled okra is also delicious and not slimy.
“I think the secret is using an acid with it, since a lot of recipes call for using okra with tomatoes. I have used sliced okra in soups, and it is a really good thickener, but it still can have sort of a slimy texture. I also suspect that the slime (or mucilaginous texture) might just be good for “keeping things moving.’”
SOS: Davi also says, “I wrote to you last summer, asking about information on using xanthan gum for a thickener. So far, there haven’t been any responses. I still have the bag of xanthan gum and still want to use it. The response I got from Bob’s Red Mill said to mix it with an oil component to disperse it, but I seldom find jelly or jam recipes with an oil component.”
If you can share ideas/recipes for using xanthan gum as a thickener, please write to Judyrae Kruse at the Forum, c/o The Herald, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206.
The Forum is always happy to receive your contributions and requests, but please remember that all letters and all e-mail must include a name, complete address with ZIP code and telephone number with area code.
No exceptions and sorry, but no response to e-mail by return e-mail; send to kruse@heraldnet.com.
The next Forum will appear in Monday’s Time Out section.
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