Okra Pie

For better or worse, okra usually generates very opinionated responses. I've heard it vehemently descried and passionately defended, each with equal fervor.

Okra is gloriously celebrated in a variety of global cuisines, and in the U.S. the slender green pods are typically associated with Southern cooking. Even within the South, however, okra is subject to constant debate. My mother, a devoted Southerner in all other ways, cannot abide okra. I still remember my mother picking me up as a small child from my grandparents' house one day, and promptly recoiling in shock at the site of me sitting happily at at the kitchen table with my grandmother, nibbling on a bowl of cold sliced okra. I had never eaten okra before, and, blissfully unaware of the list of biases one could levy upon okra, I had, with a child's innocence, proceeded to thoroughly enjoy the magically chewy little slices.

Today, despite my mother's continued protests, I still adore okra.

Granted, okra can be a temperamental vegetable at times. When the raw pods are sliced they tend to adhere tenaciously to the knives and cutting boards at hand, exuding a slightly sticky juice, and, especially if boiled, they can turn an alarming shade of gray when cold. If one is willing to take a leap of faith deep into a bowl of roasted, sauteed, or stewed okra, however, one finds a crisp-tender exterior and a delightfully tender, creamy interior. I even find that okra has a rich, cheese-like flavor in a completely vegan, low-fat form!

Thus, I pause this brief paean to okra to introduce the okra pie I fixed for our supper last night, which, I venture to say, might even create an okra convert or two...

Okra Pie

1 onion, chopped
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 lb okra pods, cut into 1/2" slices
1 1/2 cups corn kernels
1 T light vegan marg or butter
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup whole grain bread crumbs
1 pie shell, made from your favorite pastry crust recipe

~ Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Press the pie crust dough into a 9" deep dish pie pan.
~ In a large pot over medium-high heat, saute the onion in the olive oil until limp and translucent.
~ Add the sliced okra, and continue to saute until the okra is tender and slightly browned.
~ Stir in the corn and the vegan marg or butter, reduce the heat to medium, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is heated through.
~ Stir in the tomatoes, and heat through once again.
~ Remove the pot from the heat, stir in the bread crumbs, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
~ Pour the okra mixture into the pie crust, and bake for 15 minutes - until the top of the okra mixture is slightly golden brown. Serve warm...

I admit, this pie does lack white and blue, for the particular holiday celebrated in the U.S. today, but it does offer have plentiful red... :-) And it's quite a colorful pie... :-) (Hmmm, a new slogan - "As American as Okra Pie," perhaps? :-) So, if you're in the U.S., or are buoyantly looking for an occasion to celebrate anywhere, Happy July 4th!!