Sauteed Okra with Garlic and Hot Red Pepper Flakes pp. 226

Dedication

This post is dedicated to my dear friend,  Mrs. H.  She was the one who introduced our family to Okra,  and will be mentioned a bit in this post.  She has made such an impact in my life,  she really deserves a big thanks and a huge hug,  if I only was not so far away from her to give her one :(.

Beginnings
     Okra,  for my family,  as far I can remember it, began at Mrs. H's house.  Now,  we may have had it before,  but all we ever talk about (when it comes to okra) is Mrs. H's okra.  She made this huge dinner with vegetable sides from her garden.  She grew her own okra (as far as I can remember) and cooked some up for us.  I remember how I was so nervous about the first bite,  but I ended up liking it.  I have tried it at other places, like Cracker Barrel,  but they do not compare to her fried okra.  Now after eating her great cooking,  when I noticed that okra was in season at the Farmers Market,  I picked some up over the weekend in fear,  because these things are still elusive to me.

Lessons
     1) Do not cook in a cast iron skillet.  I did that once my okra (which was frozen not fresh) turned black and gooey.  The method I cooked the okra (last night) was to prevent the jelly like way okra can get.
     2) Fresh okra only lasts a few days after being picked.  So that is why I cooked this on Sunday and waited to write the blog post till today.

Result
   As Chef Turbo says "It's too piciy".  Yes,  he says it without the 's'.  The peppers were just too hot for me.  But from the bite I did have,  the okra was a good texture.  Although,  My Beloved said that Mrs. H's okra is way more superb.   And with that, I agree.

Other news
    I made some wonderful beef stew with the potatoes I purchased at the farmers market.  So nice and tender!