Okra, okra, everywhere!

The Okra Fairy came to Wyngate Circle this week, and I'm the proud owner of a rather nice sized bag of the little boogers.  I haven't decided what I'm going to do with mine (other than pickling some of them), but my neighbor Kelly has gone ahead and used some of hers.  I had the privilege of getting to sample some of the yummy Chicken Gumbo that she made in her Crock Pot this week.  She found the recipe on Whole Food's website.  Here's what she did...

Chicken Gumbo with Fresh Okra

Ingredients

4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
Sea salt
Ground pepper
4 tablespoons unbleached flour
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup diced celery
2 cups sliced fresh okra
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon hot sauce, to taste
3/4 pound cooked chicken sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
12 raw peeled large shrimp, fresh or frozen (optional)
Cooked long-grain white or brown rice


Directions
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Brown chicken on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add remaining 3 tablespoons oil to the pan and heat until hot. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. The mixture should be about the color of peanut butter. It is extremely hot, so be careful not to splatter. Add onion, green pepper, celery and okra. Carefully stir in the chicken broth. Return chicken and any juices to the pan. Add chicken sausage, bay leaves and tomatoes. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. If desired, add shrimp and continue to cook another 5 minutes or until the shrimp are done. Serve over rice.

To make this recipe in a slow cooker, after browning the chicken, place in slow cooker. Scrape up any brown bits from the pan and add to the cooker.

Add remaining 3 tablespoons oil to the pan, and heat until hot. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. The mixture is extremely hot, so be careful not to splatter. Add the onion, green pepper and celery, and cook until the vegetables start to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and stir until smooth and incorporated. Pour mixture into the slow cooker. Add the okra, bay leaf, tomatoes and hot sauce. Cover, and turn cooker to low. Cook for 7 to 8 hours, adding another 1/2 cup chicken broth or water if necessary. Thirty minutes before serving, add the sausages and turn cooker to high. Five minutes before serving, add the shrimp. Serve over cooked rice.

Brunswick Stew

This weekend, I finally tried out the somewhat new Woody's BBQ place in Park West.  They had Brunswick Stew on their menu, and our server was nice enough to bring our table a little sampling of it.  It was pretty good even though the meat in it wasn't shredded...which is what I prefer.

I had never had Brunswick stew until I was in college at UNC.  Liz and I took an anthropology class on Southern Culture, and for one of our last assignments, we did a group presentation.  I was assigned to do a group presentation on Brunswick stew.  I'd never heard of it, but several of my group members talked about how awesome it was.  As part of our presentation, we actually cooked some (heated it up in the St. A's kitchen) and gave it to our class.  That one group project launched my love for this culinary creation.  I've had it at many different restaurants, and I think that the best Brunswick stew that I've had was in a small BBQ joint called Clem's Place in the very small town of Norlina, NC.  Clem's Place also has some of the best barbecue that I've ever had.  It's a little hole in the wall that's right next door to a car wash on US Highway 1.  It's been years since I've been there, but I will never forget it!

Where Brunswick stew originates is quite controversial with people from Georgia and Virginia arguing that they are the ones who created it.  Whoever it was, I thank them! 

As is often the case when I have something out, I decided to try to make Brunswick stew myself this weekend.  A friend from a messageboard had posted a recipe a few months ago, and it looked perfect to me....not too complicated and made in the crock pot!  It was definitely a hit here! 

Here's the version that I made.

Brunswick Stew

Ingredients

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes

1 can tomato paste, (6 oz.)

4 pound boston butt

1 1/2 cups frozen sliced okra, thawed

1 cup corn kernels, frozen thawed or fresh

1 can lima beans

1 chopped onion

1 large baking potato, chopped into 1 inch chunks

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

Directions

Cook pork in crockpot with chicken broth for 2 hours on high. Combine tomatoes and tomato paste; stir to blend. Add sliced okra, corn, onion, lima beans, potato, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and oregano. Cover; cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. Remove pork from the crock pot, shred, and return to the stew. Before serving, remove bay leaf and stir well.  Serve with hot sauce.

Tomato-Basil Crab Bisque and Grilled Cheese

Looking for something that wouldn't aggravate the dental work that Rick had this week, I chose to make us soup this evening. Rick readily admitted that he isn't much of a soup person, but I was hopeful that this delicious Tomato-Basil Crab Bisque from epicurious.com. I was excited because I was going to get to use some of the crab stock that I made a while back. In this recipe, I substitute it for the bottled clam juice and also mix a little bit in with tomato juice in place of the Clamato juice required by the recipe. Instead of using crackers, I decided to make cheese crisps to go with the soup. The meal wouldn't be complete with out a yummy multi-cheese grilled cheese sandwiches!!! Because he had dental work done today, he did want to take any chances with the cheese crisps after he had half of one. He confesssed, though, that if circumstances were different, there wouldn't have been any left. He did enjoy a grilled cheese and a little soup, though.

Here are the recipes:

3-Cheese Cheese Crisps

Ingredients
1/2 container of 3-cheese blend
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a baking sheet with Pam Cooking Spray, or grease the pan, or cover with parchment paper. Mix cheese and pepper in a small bowl. Place one tablespoon of the mixture on the baking sheet and space about 1/2 inch apart. Bake until golden and crisp (around 3-5 minutes).



Multi-Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Ingredients
Bread, two slices per sandwich
Butter
American cheese slices
Six-cheese blend
Cheddar cheese

Directions
Butter one side of two slices of bread, and repeat for desired number of sandwiches. In a small bowl, mix a handful of cheddar and a handful of six cheese blend together. Place one piece of bread buttered side down in a pan that is heated over medium heat. Cover the top bread with the cheese mixture and let the cheese begin to melt. Add a slice of America cheese and the other piece of bread. As the cheese continues to melt, flip the sandwich. Continue to flip until the sandwich is lightly browned on both sides. Repeat steps for each sandwich.


Tomato-Basil Crab Bisque

The following recipe is my adaptation of the epicurious.com recipe.
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  
• 2 cans (6 oz) crabmeat
• 1 can diced tomatoes
  
• 1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups tomato juice
• 1 cup crab stock
  
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup white wine
  
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add crabmeat, tomato, 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil, and garlic. Sauté 2 minutes. Whisk in flour; stir 2 minutes. Whisk in tomato juice, 1/2 cup crab stock and next 5 ingredients. Reduce heat to low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Stir in lemon juice; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Divide soup among 6 bowls. Sprinkle with remaining 3 tablespoons basil and serve. Serves 6 as a first course.