OKRA CREOLE

This dish is a great simple version of a classic recipe. Since lots of folks have never eaten okra or what they have eaten turned them against it, maybe this dish will change their minds. Simple, spicy, quick and good. What more could you ask for in a recipe.

Food Trivia: Cajun and Creole recipes are often referred to as Gumbos. That only means that they contain okra. Okra came to North America via the slave trade and "gumbo" is the African name for okra. File Gumbo contains okra and sassafras powder, which is used as a thickener. 

What you need:

10-12 medium pods of fresh okra, washed and sliced in 1/4 inch pieces
1 med green or red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2 med fresh tomatoes or 1 very large one
1 med onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves
Olive Oil for sauteing
Cayenne pepper
Sugar
Salt

Chop the onion and pepper in to uniform chunks. Chop the garlic finely or you can use equivalent of dried. The garlic is a matter of taste. Adjust to your liking. Saute the onions, peppers and garlic in olive oil until just starting to become transparent. You want them to stay relative crunchy. Reduce heat to med. low.

Peel, core and quarter the tomatoes. (I don't peel, but you will find the little peely pieces in the dish...if you don't mind that, just wash tomatoes thoroughly.) Add to onion mixture and let them simmer until they fall apart. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Add the okra to the tomato-onion mixture and turn heat back up to med-high, bringing back to a slow boil. Cook for approx. 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it starts to get too thick, add a little water at a time until returns to desired thickness. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to balance the flavors. Season with cayenne pepper to your taste.

This dish can be made thicker and served as a side dish. It can be served over rice as a vegetarian main dish. You can throw in a handful of peeled shrimp and it is Shrimp Creole. This is another one to use your imagination on. Enjoy!