Recipe- Lowcountry Okra Soup
Okra is such an amazing ingredient to incorporate to any lowcountry dish! Although Okra is considered a fruit, its often eaten as a vegetable, and is extremely easy to prepare. The pods can be cooked and eaten whole or sliced, so any preparation is very minimal. Okra is a great source of minerals, vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants. You can almost consider it a super food! Though you can enjoy okra on its own, it really is best in a dish, fried, or pickled. This dish we’re about to show you offers a delicious soup with okra as the main character. This soup will knock your socks right off. With the lowcountry flavors shining through, this okra soup will definitely become a household favorite in no time. We recommend starting this soup earlier in the day to ensure its ready by dinner, as the cooking time is a little longer (but so worth it).
This recipe was found at: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021456-lowcountry-okra-soup
what You’ll Need:
2 tablespoons neutral oil
2 pounds turkey necks
1 pound smoked turkey leg or thigh meat
1 medium white or yellow onion, quartered
Salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon ground cayenne
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
15 ounces (fresh or canned) diced tomatoes (about 2 cups)
1 pound okra (fresh or frozen), trimmed and sliced into ½-inch pieces
3 ears sweet corn, sliced off the cob
2 cups cooked fresh or canned butter beans (about 15 ounces), drained
Freshly cooked long-grain white rice, cornbread and hot sauce, for serving
To Prepare:
Set an 8-quart Dutch oven medium-high heat. When hot, add oil. When oil shimmers, put in turkey necks and sear until evenly golden brown, approx. 4 minutes per side.
Add 4 quarts water, smoked turkey, onion and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a heavy simmer, with the lid slightly open. Check pot every 30 minutes to remove any scum, and add water as needed to ensure that the meat is submerged. Cook for 3 hours or until all the meat is tender and broth is flavorful.
While it’s traditional to leave onion and bones in the soup (and suck meat off turkey neck as you eat), you can strain broth, remove onion and pick meat off bones at this point if desired, returning meat to broth. Either way, reduce broth to about 3 quarts, then stir in onion powder, paprika, cayenne and pepper, and season to taste with salt.
Stir in tomatoes, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Taste, and adjust seasoning for salt, then add okra, reduce heat to low and cook until okra is just tender, not mushy, and still has bite to it, no more than 10 minutes. The okra will naturally thicken the broth as it cooks.
Stir in corn and beans, cook for another minute or 2, then serve immediately with rice, cornbread and hot sauce. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Return to a boil for 3 minutes before serving.
This New York Times recipe is a real winner, and this soup will have you craving it again and again. Start it early so its done by dinner, and your family and you will be full and happy!