My grandmother taught me to love fried okra.  She lived on a ranch in Texas her whole life and was a really gifted home cook.  I loved to hear her stories of cooking for the ranch hands that she and my grandfather would hire at key times during the year.  She would describe their property as “small,” my grandfather was a horse and cattle trader and never had too much livestock on hand at any one time.  So I guess it was small by Texas standards–but 1200 acres seemed big to me and I marveled at how she ran the house, a huge vegetable garden, a smoke house, a salt house, the chicken coup where she raised the chickens and harvested the eggs, milked the cows and made her own butter, cooked three meals a day and still managed to fill an armoire full of the most beautiful hand-stitched quilts you have ever seen. I’m embarrassed to think myself busy when I consider what she got done in a day…

Anyway, her cooking was a study in delicious simplicity—good, fresh ingredients cooked perfectly—and I remember it to this day.  Here is how she made her fried okra—a five-minute wonder of a side dish.  I don’t think she used olive oil, probably bacon drippings or shortening, but the essential taste is the same.

Fried Okra

4 to 6 servings

1 pound fresh okra, washed, dried and cut into ¼ inch rounds
½ cup cornmeal
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Put the cornmeal in a medium bowl, add the okra rounds and toss with your hands to coat.  Transfer the okra to a dry colander and shake off the excess cornmeal.  Warm the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the okra.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and slowly sauté, turning with a spatula occasionally, until the okra is golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes.  Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

My husband’s family is a big, fun jumble of Louisianans…originally from the heart of the Louisiana rice farming country.  When their family gathers, you have to know how to feed a crowd—and they all do.

The girls (and some boys) that my husband grew up with all have stayed in or returned to Louisiana, have families of their own—and are all good cooks.  I recently asked one of them for a “tried and true” recipe—and got this gem in return.   She recommends serving this with pork tenderloin…and we thought it was yummy with roasted shrimp too.   If we’re lucky, she (and others in our wonderful family) will send more—and soon!  Merci, nos belle cousine!

Grits N Greens Casserole
(from “Hissy Fit”)

Serves 8

2 cups whipping cream or Half and Half
8 cups chicken broth, divided
2 cups grits – not instant or quick cooking
1 1-pound bag frozen mustard greens or collard greens
2 sticks butter
2 1/2 Cups Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 cup cooked and crumbled bacon

Butter a 13 x 9 or 2-quart casserole.  Combine the cream and 6 cups of the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Stir in the grits and cook over medium heat until the mixture returns to a boil.  Cover, reduce the heat to simmer and continue to cook, for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the grits are done.  Stir frequently to keep it from sticking or burning to the pan.   Add a little milk if needed to thicken to the right consistency—which should be like creamy on-the-thin-side oatmeal.

While the grits are simmering, cook the frozen greens with the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.  Drain the greens well in a colander, pressing with a spoon to get as much liquid out as you can.  Add the butter, 2 cups of the Parmesan and pepper to the cooked grits and stir until the butter is melted.  Stir in the cooked greens and spoon into the buttered casserole.  Top with the additional ½ cup of Parmesan and the crumbled bacon.  This can be served at room temperature or heated in a 350 oven until browned on top.