Dish

By Times staff

© St. Petersburg Times,
published June 13, 2001

eat your veggies

spotlight on plant food

okra

eating: Okra is as much a part of the culinary South as grits, and its most famous role is in gumbo. Once out of the comfortable confines of the South, fresh okra isn't always available, and many people shun it anyway because of its slippery insides. Nevertheless, okra packs a nutritional punch of vitamins A and C and folic acid. Six pods are 30 calories.

buying: Look for okra that is 3 inches long or less. Much longer and it will be tough and more gelatinous. The best okra is firm and dry and free of brown spots. High season is summer.

preparation: Rinse under cool water and trim away stems. If you plan to cook okra whole, which reduces the slime factor, don't cut off the cap. Use within two days of buying; okra does not have a long fridge life.

cooking: When sliced for soups or stews, okra acts as a thickening agent. Another popular preparation of okra is sliced, breaded and pan-fried. Dry-heat cooking methods, such as grilling or quick sauteing, prevent uncut okra from becoming thick and slippery.

quick fix: Sauteed garlic okra. Trim stems but not caps from 1 pound of small okra. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in saute pan. When oil is hot, saute okra until crisp, about four minutes. Stir in two to three minced garlic cloves and a couple of shakes of hot pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. Stir until garlic is golden, about a minute. Do not let garlic burn. Salt to taste and serve immediately.

this web site cooks

www.buygreatfish.com

Maybe you've been bitten by the aloha bug after eating nouveau Hawaiian fare at Roy's Restaurant in Tampa. Maybe you're tired of the fish in our own sea.

Or maybe you've got money to burn.

Check out this site which promises to deliver fresh fish from the Pacific Ocean state. Shoppers choose from an extensive list of Hawaiian fish including opakapaka, ono, opah and onaga. Fish starts at about $13 a pound, and minimum orders are 3 pounds. Shipping is extra. Recipes, including some from Roy's mastermind Roy Yamaguchi, are included. To talk to a real person, call toll-free 1-800-921-3474.

constant comment

"Red beans and ricely yours." -- Jazz great Louis Armstrong's trademark letter closing.

cooking class

Don't store potatoes and onions together in a dry storage area because the onions will get mushy.

your cereal, your self

We checked out General Mills make-your-own cereal Web site and were not exactly bowled over with the results. Times photographer Ron Thompson logged on to www.mycereal.com and designed a custom cereal mix, which he named Morning News, from the dozens of available ingredients. He received seven pouches of cereal, each one with two servings, for $13, including shipping. It was high in calories, 330 a serving, with a whopping 71 grams of carbohydrates and 7 grams of fiber. All in all, it's probably better to choose your cereal from the gazillion offerings at the store; try mixing your own. Even if you don't order cereal, the site offers a good nutrition lesson: Add macadamia nuts, for instance, and watch calories and fat skyrocket.

what in the world

New food products are constantly being introduced around the world. Among novelties recently sighted:

A violet-flavored chewing gum has been introduced in South Africa.

Ethnic baby foods are new in France, where offerings include Indian-style chicken and Cantonese rice.

A new sausage enriched with ginseng and other natural tonics also is available in France.

hot, hot, hot

The world's hottest chilis, according to Frieda's Finest Foods of Los Angeles, are datil, habanero, Scotch bonnet, chiltepin, santaka, Thai, aji, cayenne, pequin, tabasco, de arbol, serrano, yellow wax, chipotle, jalapeno and mirasol.

High-style Jello-O

Leave it to Gourmet magazine to make Jell-O sound like something Martha would serve. Of course, it's not called Jell-O but rather gelee in an article titled "Delights of Fancy" in this month's issue. The two recipes, Grape and Elderflower Gelee and Rose-Peach Gelee, call for unflavored gelatin rather than flavored Jell-O; but once the ingredients are set in old-timey molds, it's difficult to tell the difference.

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