How will the USA survive?

Thanks, I think I'll try that. I live in East Texas, and it is very common
here to find okra cut into bite-size pieces, then deep-fried with a crust.
It actually is tasty that way, but I no longer eat deep-fried food.

Tish...

Sorry, I in no way intended to dis that way of cooking okra. After
re-reading my answer it came across as rather high-handed and
downright rude. It wasn't meant to be that way. I don't eat much in
the way of fried foods these days either (although sometimes crave
something fried), so I try to avoid putting temptation in my path.
Tish

MaryL...

lewe...

Ok, I have to get in to this - okra is one of my favourites ...
I know it grom Greece and Cyprus and I have eaten it cooked much the same
way in Lebanese restaurants.

Bamies me salsa
(Okra in tomatoes )

Ingredients
1 kilo (2 lbs) small, fresh okra
salt
pepper
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced - if you like it
500 g (1 lb) tomatoes - or more
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon sugar

Trim the cone shaped tops from the okra without cutting the flesh of the
okra,
wash, drain and place on dish - layered with salt/vinegar if you have a lot
on the dish -
Sprinkle with salt, vinegar. Leave for half hour.
Was the okra again and dry thoroughly.

Heat olive oil in frying pan and add chopped onion (garlic). Cook slowly
until onion is tender.
Add okra and cook, stir lightly, until slightly browned.
Add tomatoes, peeled and chopped, salt and pepper.
Cover the pan and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until tender.
Add water if needed.

Serve hot as main dish, nice with chicken - also as stew/casserole with
chicken strips,
or cold as meze

mmm, another half hour until lunch and I'm sure I won't get bamies ...
Lena

Yowie...

Did I just see Lena? Nah, couldn't be. She dropped off the planet ages ago!

Marina...

No, can't be. The Mothership has spirited her away.

lewe...

I'm around - you just don't see me ...
just too much work and fed up with the 'puter when I'm not working ...
try to keep an eye on you all though - and when there is talk of okra ...

Grey and Red one say thanks for skritches, send purrs and headbutts
- they of course always do their share for The Purr even if I don't keep up
my end and post ...
talk to you both soon
Best
Lena

polonca12000...

Nice to hear from you, Lena.
Best wishes,
Polonca and Soncek

Scritches to the Grey one and the Red one,

No, I did not interpret your remarks as rude. I just thought they were a
commentary on food, and my reply was meant to illustrate different
techniques in different areas of the world (or of the country). No apology
necessary, Tish! I appreciated your reply.

EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)...

Since I learned the method from my ex's mother (who came for
Louisiana) I assume you southerners already know this one,
but I like okra cooked with tomato, celery and onion. Once
I learned that you do NOT cook it in large quantities of
water, I was okay with it. Hunt used to put out canned
stewed tomatoes which contained celery and onion. I would
use a small can of those to about two cups of sliced raw
okra (no additional liquid) and cook gently over low heat
until done. A nice side dish - sort of like gumbo without
the chicken and shrimp.

John F. Eldredge...

I have never tried to prepare it myself, but pickled okra is fairly
tasty. It has a moderately crisp texture, not unlike pickled
cucumbers.

sriddles...

Oh, yes. Very good with warm cornbread too. I also cut a little okra up
into stews or tomato-based soups if it is in season.

I learned this morning of a terrible thing. The U.S.A. has banned,
yes *banned* the importation of vegemite, to the extent where they are
searching Australians entering the USA and confiscating their precious
vegemite (black gold). This is apparently because it contains added

tension_on_the_wire...

Yes, here in the US, black gold is used to refer to crude oil.
Is there a similarity, perhaps? We don't eat it here, though. 8^P

folate (a B vitamin) and the FDA stipulates that folate may only be an
added ingredient to bread and cereals. Since vegemite is the
by-product of beer brewing (being extracted from the sludge left at
the bottom of the vat during brewing - doesn't it sound enticing?), it

tension_on_the_wire...

Aha! Now I understand why it seems similar to our black gold, heh.
I must say, Men At Work aside with vegemite sandwiches, I can't
say I will much miss something that came from the bottom of a
beer vat!! 8^P

is neither bread nor cereal. Australia would grind to a slow, painful
halt if vegemite disappeared, so *how* will the USA cope?

Chakolate...

By importing Marmite?

Rhonda...

I tried vegemite once. I almost ground to a slow, painful halt myself. :)

Joy...

LOL! I think the gallons of water I guzzled after trying it kept me from
coming to a halt. I had to keep running back and forth, if you know what I
mean. ;-)

EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)...

If you're talking about commercial importing, I cannot make
an imformed comment, but I have yet to have any edibles but
fresh fruit confiscated by U. S. customs! If it's tinned or
bottled, and only in quantities commensurate with personal
use, why would they care?

LOL
Tish

MaryL...

sriddles...

I don't eat fried food anymore either, and okra is one of the summer
things I miss most! I have a recipe for bite-sized, breaded okra that
you bake. It's a reasonable facsimile of the real thing, although a
little dry :-(
Tish, okra is a staple here in the summer, but then we fry too much in
the south to be healthy. We also fry squash and green tomatoes. I love
to dump cut okra, cut tomatoes and cut onion in a pan and simmer it and
eat with cornbread.
Wish I could try vegemite. I'm very curious now!

Christina Websell...

LOL! Has the US banned Marmite too? It's a very similar product. If all
else fails ex-pat Aussies in the US will have to descend to spreading
Marmite on their toast.

badwilson...

I talked about this last night with 2 British ladies I know over here
and they claim that Marmite has no folate, so expat Aussies could very
well switch over but none will be too pleased since the general
consensus here seems to be that Marmite is totally different and vile.
But I'd have to guess at that since I've never tried Marmite.

kilikini...

My husband is an okra fiend and he fries his in cornmeal occasionally.
Would a baked breading work just as well? You'd have to turn the pieces
over individually as they cook, of course, but I wonder if that would work?

sriddles...

Kili, here is how I cook it since I got on the lowfat diet. It's pretty
dry, not as good as fried, but I like it as a substitute for the real
thing.
BAKED OKRA
1-1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
Salt & Pepper
1/2 cup fatree buttermilk
1 egg, slightly beaten (I just use the whites)
About 3 cups okra cut in 3/4 inch pieces.
1. Preheat overn to 450
2. Mix cornmeal with 1/2 tsp. each salt & Pepper
3. Mix buttermilk & egg with whisk. Toss okra to coat & let stand 3
minutes
4. Dredge okra in buttermilk. Spray shallow pan liberally with cooking
spray and put okra on pan. Spray top of okra with cooking spray
5. Bake for 40 minutes, turning once.
6. Sprinkle with some more salt & pepper.

Thanks! That does sound similar to what I was once served at a friend's
house (and it was good). I have lived in East Texas for many years, but I
grew up in Ohio. I'm not much of a cook and look for low-fat foods, so I
never did pick up on a lot of Southern dishes that are delicious but often
loaded with fat. As it turns out, that is just as well for my health.

Karen...

Well that's really wierd! I mean, yeah, vegemite is wierd as I
understand it, but how strange to ban it?I could swear that there is
folate in things other than bread and cereal.

EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)...

I suspect Tish is either repeating (or trying to start?) an
urban legend. ;-)

sriddles...

No, she's not! I thought she was joking at first too, and I went
searching the web. Here is what I found:
from:

US bans Vegemite
Kelvin Healey
October 22, 2006 12:00am
THE United States has slapped a ban on Vegemite, outraging Australian
expatriates there.

The bizarre crackdown was prompted because Vegemite contains folate,
which in the US can be added only to breads and cereals.
Expatriates say that enforcement of the ban has been stepped up
recently and is ruining lifelong traditions of having Vegemite on toast
for breakfast.

Former Geelong man Daniel Fogarty, who now lives in Calgary, Canada,
said he was stunned when searched while crossing the US border
recently.

"The border guard asked us if we were carrying any Vegemite," Mr
Fogarty said.

"I was flabbergasted." Paul Watkins, who owns a store called About
Australia in San Antonio, Texas, said he had been forced to stop
importing Vegemite six months ago.

"We have completely stopped bringing it in," he said.

"(US authorities) have made a stance and there is nothing that can be
done about it."

Kreisleriana...

Most of us will survive very well. I worry about the Aussie
expatriates, like my ex. I used to get him Vegemite for his birthdays
and Xmas, and I'm sure he has located some way of acquiring it out
there in Los Angeles-- until now, I suppose. It just doesn't seem

MaryL...

Sounds good! I'll try that one, too.

right.

Although "weaponized Vegemite" does seem somehow plausible. ;)

Theresa

Make Levees, Not War

Joy...

LOL! How indeed! I have actually met a grand total of *one* American who
can sta - I mean, who likes the stuff.

rrb...

Well, having never tried it, and having NO desire to after hearing the
description of it. I think myself and others like me will do just fine.
I realize that your statement was in jest - I think - but my guess is
only Australians that are here will miss it much.

Tish...

Yes it was in jest. Vegemite is a flavor that most folks find
repulsive. Banning it from import to the USA is not going to do any
damage to Australia's exports, but will annoy the ex-pat Australians
who rely on their "fix" on a daily basis.
I thought it was hysterical that the US Customs was so serious about
banning it that they were searching folks-with-funny-accents (read:
Australians) at US borders!
Tish

sriddles...

This appears to be *such* a boneheaded thing. I had never heard of
vegemite, and I am not well-versed at all on the logistics of the
"ban", so forgive me that this post might be equally boneheaded.
They're banning it because it has folate added? What's the big deal
with that?? Judging from the info. that I just searched the web for, they all say
that the risk of toxicity from over-absorbtion of folate is very low.
I daresay that it's still healthier for kids than a Big Mac. So are we
gonna ban those, too.
I take a prescription folic acid supplement, and lower doses are
available over the counter.
There's something really screwy going on with this I think.

Dewi...

I thought there was somthing suspicious going on too.

glsummer...

Darn. Now I'll never get to try it!

Kreisleriana...

You'll just have to go to Australia. ;0

Theresa

Make Levees, Not War

glsummer...

LOL!

Ginger-lyn

Home Pages:
Animals in Movies Website)

Ginger-lyn

Home Pages:
Animals in Movies Website)

jmcquown...

LOLOL Well, considering I've never tasted Vegemite nor it's counterpart
Marmite, I'd have to say the USA will survive quite nicely ;)