Tag Archives: okra

Apr6

Best Brunswick Stew Recipe, Sassy Style!

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Brunswick on table with window

Brunswick Stew is a sassy one pot dish full of flavor. It is however a dish with a questionable heritage. There are three schools of thought on the origin of Brunswick Stew.  The first is from Queen Victoria’s adoration of the dish coming from the original Brunswick: Braunschweig, Germany. Next Brunswick, Virginia and the nearby coastal communities in North Carolina claim the dish started there. Finally, Brunswick, Georgia and St. Simons Island, Georgia also say the dish originated there. The two US versions vary slightly. In Virginia the protein is usually chicken. In Georgia it is a mixed plate of smoked chicken, pork and sometimes beef. What is similar in the two recipes is a tomato base with a variety of vegetables. The Georgia version is sassier… more vinegar and more smoke and that is what I am presenting here with a Charleston twist, okra and fresh tomatoes.  One more thing, the original versions were made in hunting camps and often contained opossum, squirrel or rabbit, I am NOT going there, but feel free to add them if you wish.

The secret is in the sassy sauce! Yield one gallon. Freezes well or serves a crowd!

The Sassy Sauce

Brusnwick sauce

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup of butter
  • 1 ½ cups ketchup
  • ¼ cup prepared yellow mustard
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 cup of liquid smoke
  • 1/8 cup of hot sauce (I like Texas Pete for this)
  • ½ cup brown sugar or cane syrup if you can find it

Method:

  • In a 2 quart sauce pan, melt the butter
  • Add ketchup, mustard & vinegar and stir to blend
  • Add garlic, peppers, liquid smoke, hot sauce and brown sugar and stir to blend.
  • Simmer for approximately 10 minutes, do not allow to boil. Reserve for the stew.

The Stew

Brusnwick potatoes

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup of butter
  • 1 cup of diced onion
  • 3 cups of small diced potatoes (Yukon or red potatoes are best)
  • 3 cups of chicken stock
  • 2 14.5 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes
  • 2 14.5 ounce cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1 pound each: smoked turkey or chicken, pulled pork and ham
  • 2 cups each: frozen lima beans, frozen or fresh corn, frozen peas, fresh cut okra & fresh cut tomatoes (any fresh veggies can be added)
  • ¼ cup liquid smoke

Brunswick Simmering

Method:

  • In a large stock pot, melt the butter and cook the onions and potatoes over medium heat for a few minutes
  • Add chicken stock, tomatoes and the meats and bring to a rolling boil for 5 minutes
  • Add the veggies, reserved sauce and place on a very low simmer for 1 hour

Brunswick bowl

Serve with cornbread or hush puppies

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Sep21

Refrigerator Pickles: Easy Bread and Butter Cucumbers and Okra

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Easy, delicious and a perfect way to preserve some of the last of this summer’s produce, in this case some cucumbers and okra. Refrigerator pickles are great, crispier and fresher tasting than their canned cousins.  This is a recipe that is both sweet and tart, much like Bread and Butter Pickles. Put them on your burgers, alongside sandwiches and use the okra in Bloody Marys. Add them to a cheese plate or charcuterie platter. It is SO easy and you do not need a whole bushel of produce and lots of equipment to make these, just some clean jars, a knife (or food processor) and the ingredients. Here is the recipe to make 3 quart jars. It only takes about 30 minutes working time to do these. Well worth the effort.

Ingredients:

2 onions, thinly sliced

8 medium cucumbers thinly sliced (I used the food processor to make fast work of slicing)

4 cups okra ( I did the okra in one jar and the cukes in two others, but you could do more cukes if you are okra adverse).

3 cups of water

3 cups of cider vinegar

6 cups sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons mustard seeds

2 1/2 teaspoons turmeric

2 teaspoons celery seeds

2 tablespoons pickling spice

2 teaspoons grains of paradise

2 teaspoons juniper berries

crushed red pepper to taste

6 cloves of garlic (2 per jar)

6 sticks of cinnamon (2 per jar)

Method: 

Slice cucumbers and okra.

The food processor makes slicing a breeze and maintains consistent size

Place in a jar with 2 sticks of cinnamon and 2 cloves of garlic slightly bruised

Pack the jars tightly

Pack the jars tightly. This can also be done in a plastic container.

Cook all remaining ingredients to a boil and then simmer for four minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Pour the pickling liquid over the vegetables and close jars. Allow to cool completely, then place in refrigerator. The pickles will be ready to eat in 24 hours. You can use a variety of vegetables to make pickles, peppers, carrots, jicama, sugar snap peas, asparagus, okra, even peaches.