Say “snake,” and I’m gone. Am I afraid of them? Does it snow in Alaska? Ophidiophobic, that’s me.
Carey Bundt of Pass Christian, Miss., e-mailed some friends to say her carefully tended garden was coming in, but was really muddy due to last week’s rain.
“Purple hulls, lima beans, eggplants and corn are coming in,” she said. “You may be standing mid-calf in mud, picking vegetables that are muddy, too.”
I was OK with the mud. After all, I used to make mud pies as a child. Then she added several other words, about a few weeds and snakes.
I was done for. I was looking forward to picking veggies with her and some other friends, but I hadn’t thought about snakes. My grandpa always had a garden until I went off to college. I helped him and my grandmother pick peas, dig potatoes and the like. Kids and teens think they are invincible; I was no exception.
Needless to say, I had to apologize for not sharing the garden chores. I could hear my grandmother’s words ringing in my ear, “If you don’t pick ’em, you don’t eat. I’m not doing it for you.”
While I may not be the gardener I would like to be, I do like to cook fresh vegetables. It’s a good thing, too, because I came home from work last week to find a water bucket full of fresh okra, and I certainly didn’t want it to ruin.
“I bought two packs of freezer bags,” my husband said, as he sat in his recliner. “Can’t you just wash it, bag it and put it in the freezer?”
He was right. Okra can be washed, stems cut off, bagged in freezer bags and popped into the freezer. This method works only if you are storing for a short time.
To freeze most vegetables, okra included, at their best, they must be parboiled, plunged into a large pan of ice water, drained and cooled before bagging and placing in the freezer.
My daughter and I spent the evening washing, cutting up, parboiling and bagging the okra for the freezer.
When we’re eating okra and tomatoes, gumbo and fried okra, we’ll appreciate our efforts. So far this summer, we’ve put up squash, peaches and blueberries. I’ll share a couple of our favorite fresh recipes a bit later in this column.
If I hadn’t been such a “fraidy cat,” our freezer could have been a virtual veggie bin.
The following recipe put summer’s veggies to good use.
Okra Casserole
q 3/4 pound tender, fresh okra
q 1 eggplant, about 1 pound
q 2 medium-size zucchini, about 1 pound total
q 2 large green peppers, about 3/4 pound total
q 1 large onion, about 3/4 pound
q 3 tomatoes, about 1 1/2 pounds
q 1/4 cup olive oil
q 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
q 1/4 teaspoon dried, hot, red pepper flakes
q 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
q 1 bay leaf
q 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
q Salt to taste
n Trim off any tough stems on the okra. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
n Trim off the ends of the eggplant. Cut the unpeeled eggplant crosswise into 1-inch thick slices. Cut the slices into strips 1-inch wide. Cut the strips into 1-inch cubes. There should be about 4 cups.
n Trim off the ends of the zucchini. Cut the zucchini lengthwise into quarters. Cut the strips into 1-inch pieces. There should be about 3 cups.
n Cut the green pepper in half lengthwise. Cut away and discard the cores and veins. Discard the seeds. Cut the peppers into 1-inch pieces. There should be about 2 1/2 cups.
n Peel the onion and cut it into 1-inch cubes. There should be about 2 cups.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy casserole and add the onion and eggplant cubes. Cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini. tomatoes and green peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes.
n Add the garlic, pepper flakes, parsley, bay leaf and thyme. Stir. Add the drained okra and salt. Place mixture in oven-proof casserole dish. Put in oven and bake 1 hour. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
n Some folks dredge okra in flour before adding to okra and tomatoes, but I do not. If you do, add 1 tablespoon of flour to the recipe below and toss okra with the flour before adding to the onions.
Creole Okra and Tomatoes
q 3-4 slices bacon
q 1 small onion, chopped
q 1 tablespoon oil or bacon grease
q 1 cup fresh okra, washed and sliced
q 2 tomatoes, cut in piece
n Salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste Zatarain’s Creole Seasoning to taste In heavy medium-sized skillet, cook bacon, drain on paper towels. Pour off grease, reserving 1 tablespoon. Slightly brown onion in grease, about 1 minute on medium heat. Add okra. Cook about 5 minutes until okra is slightly brown. Add tomatoes. Cook partly covered over slow heat about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add seasonings. If you don’t like it spicy, omit the cayenne pepper. Serves 4.
Buena Vista Sauce
Maria Mavar shared her recipe for the sauce that was served at the old Buena Vista hotel, which sat on the beach in Biloxi, Miss. Last week, a reader asked for the recipe.
“I would always meet people at the grocery store who were buying the mustard to make the sauce. I believe it became quite popular,” Mavar said. “I was given two recipes, one from a person who worked in the kitchen of the old Buena Vista and the other from a friend who claimed it was the original recipe. The only real difference in the recipes is in the type of mustard. One uses a 5 1/2-ounce jar of Zatarain’s Creole Mustard, the other one, an 8-ounce jar of Mr. Mustard (hot).
“It may not be the exact recipe, but I remember the Buena Vista sauce very well,” she said. “We would go to the Buena Vista kitchen and buy jars of it anytime we served boiled shrimp. Anyway, here is what I call Buena Vista Sauce.”
Buena Vista Sauce
q 1/2 pint mayonnaise
q 1 5 1/2-ounce jar of Zatarain’s Creole Mustard or 8-ounce jar (hot) Mr. Mustard
q 2 stalks celery (grated)
q 1 medium onion (grated)
q 1/2 tube anchovy paste
q 2 tablespoons Lea & Perrin Worcestershire sauce
q 20 or more drops of Tabasco
n Mix all together and refrigerate.
n If using Mr. Mustard, do not add Tabasco.
-- Submitted by Maria Mavar
Cake and frosting
“I am responding to Jayne Trahan of Navarre, who requested a recipe for a cake that makes its own frosting as it bakes,” said Nancy Gaskill of Diamondhead. “It is easy to do and good, too.”
Apple Dump Cake
q 1 can apple pie filling
q 1 cup brown sugar
q 1 spice cake mix
q 1 cup chopped pecans
q 2 sticks margarine
n Into buttered 9-by-13-inch baking pan, dump apple pie filling. Spread to cover bottom of pan. Top with brown sugar. Again spreading to cover the apple pie filling. Sprinkle dry spice cake mix on top of filling and brown sugar. Top with chopped pecans. Cut margarine sticks into small pieces and add as the final layer.
n Bake for 50-55 minutes at 325 degrees.
-- Submitted by Nancy Gaskill
Readers need help
Martha Bond of Long Beach, Miss., wants recipes from the shuttered French Connection restaurant in Biloxi, especially the rolled chicken breast wrapped in bacon and fire-grilled.
Louise Blanton of Gulfport, Miss., wants a recipe for orange chicken like the dish that is served in Chinese restaurants.
Andrea Yeager, can be reached at ayeager51@cableone.net. Send contributions or requests to Cook’s Exchange, P.O. Box 4567, Biloxi MS 39535-4567. If requesting a recipe, include the name or describe it.
