Subject: Stewed Okra
From: Unicorn (unicorn@indenial.com)
Date: Wed Mar 01 2000 - 17:02:28 EST
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: FOOD FUNNY :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Thanks to reader Robin Nagel for today's not-so-politically-correct
food funny:
One beautiful autumn day, a Park Ranger discovered a man sitting in
the woods chewing away on a dead Bald Eagle.
"Hey mister, the Bald Eagle is a protected species, and killing one is
punishable offence," said the Park Ranger.
The man was swiftly arrested, and ushered before the judge. In court,
he pleaded innocent to the charges against him, claiming that if he
didn't eat the bald eagle he would have died from starvation. "I was
so hungry," complained the defensive camper, "the Bald Eagle was the
only food I could find!" To everyone's amazement, the judge ruled in
his favor.
In the judge's closing statement he asked the man, "I would like you
to tell me something before I let you go. I have never eaten a bald
eagle, nor ever plan on it. But I'd like to know: What did it taste
like?"
The man answered, "Well, it tasted like a cross between Whooping Crane
and a Spotted Owl."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::: TODAY'S RECIPE ::::::::::::::::::::::::::
As with many places with large populations of African descent, okra is
a popular vegetable in Puerto Rico. It is actually the fruit of the
Hibiscus esculentus, an African native, and was brought to the new
world by slaves, first to Brazil, and then to southern United Sates
and the Caribbean. As with all our recipes this week, this is adapted
from "Puerto Rican Cookery" by Carmen Aboy Valldejuli (Pelican
Publishing Co., 1998) which is available from Amazon.com at
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0882894110/worldwiderecipes.
Stewed Okra (Guingambos Guisados)
1 Tbs (15 ml) vegetable oil
2 oz (50 g) lean cured ham, diced
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 lb (500 g) okra, trimmed and cut into 1 inch (2 cm) pieces
2 cups (500 ml) water
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 lb (250 g) potatoes, peeled and quartered
Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Heat the oil in a large pot over moderate heat. Add the ham, onion,
tomato, bell pepper, and garlic and saute for 10 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Add the remaining ingredients except for the cilantro
and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer covered for 30
minutes, or until the okra and potatoes are tender. Garnish with
chopped cilantro. Serves 4 to 6.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b28 : Sat Apr 01 2000 - 00:00:02 EST