Thursday, January 12, 2012

BUSTED!

Busted.
I am so totally busted.


It was a simple question.
"Working on a project for summer and this 35° New England weather has me stymied. What's your favorite okra dish?"

Virginia Willis asked this on her Facebook page. It's a good question. I happen to love okra but there's not a whole lot of American recipes outside of deep fried and gumbo. And this is where my smart mouth (or keyboard in this case) got me into trouble. I typed in a response, thinking the saucy Ms. Willis would be too busy to notice my suggestion. But noooo, girlfriend jumped all over it. "Linda - can you pls shoot me the recipe for okra pie w cm crust? That sounds goooooood!"

That's right. Okra pie with cornmeal crust. I've never heard of it, never tasted it, let ALONE made one. Why did I say it? Say it outloud. Okra pie. It makes me laugh. (This alone should tell you why I'm not a stand up comedian). But now the lovely Southern chef and author of two fabulous books would like my recipe for Okra Pie with Cornmeal Crust. Do I put up or shut up? I'm thinking Put Up.

Do you doubt me? Think I lack passion or vision? Oh no, think back. Am I not the woman who gave you Peep Sushi?

Peep Sushi

Am I not the woman who gave you Crab Pot Pie?

Crab pot pie 9

Am I not the woman who put Tom Colicchio's head on the body of a rooster?

Tom rooster

(Why....because I could!)


I think I can handle Okra Pie. That's my challenge for the weekend. Make an edible okra pie. What do you think, savory? Sweet? Spices or flavorings? Can the slime be conquered? Watch for either yummy results or a total flaming failure that not even the dog will eat.

8 comments:

the dogs' mother said...

Hmmmmmmmm!!
When my folks lived in Louisiana I was brave enough to try okra. I'd say savory and spicy hot, some jalapeno in the cornmeal crust.
But, otoh, I'm kind of hoping for a sweet success so I can add it to the Mystery Pie list!

Big Shamu said...

Froggy, if ANYONE would be into this challenge, I knew it would be you. Wish me success.

Virginia willis said...

Ha! I bet your mouth has gotten you into trouble before....
Glad to help initiate a new American classic. ;)
Bon Appetit Y'all! Va

Melissa said...

I love okra. pickled, fried, roasted, aded to anything. I would eat okra pie. I'd like savory, but I'm hoping for sweet! ;-)

Need to see if my 86 yo Ozark Great grandma knows anything about an okra pie...we were just talking about Vinegar dumplings last night.

Big Shamu said...

VA - American Classic or Huge Flop. This weekend will tell.

Melissa, you are an incredibly brave woman especially since you're local. Okra pie just might show up on your doorstep.

MakingSpace said...

I'm glad you're back with something complicated. Looking forward to seeing results. And of course Ms. Willis is correct in her assessment. snort

Dani said...

This is gonna be great!
I'm liking Froggy's comment about it having some spice in the cornmeal crust.

Susan said...

Can't wait - I like the savoury spicy corny take xos + gang