I moved to Austin about three years ago now from Boston and "The South" is a whole new place for me.
I have learned and discovered A LOT, including: a love for breakfast tacos, eccentric crafts, the word "y'all" and okra.
OMG OKRA! It is so good (if made right). Roasting it and using it in indian food are both yummy, but my favorite okra discovery has been pickling it!
It's tangy, slightly chewy and you can make it your own with whatever you want to try. The recipe I always use is from Alton Brown and calls for rice wine vinegar which is how I originally came upon it. That was the only vinegar we had in the house and I really REALLY wanted to try pickling.
No... I couldn't wait or go to the store...
Quick details:
Pearl hours: Less than 1
Start to Finish: 2 weeks +
Difficulty: Easy!
Project thoughts:
Mix it up and don't be afraid to experiment/try new ingredients! So far my favorite additions have been:
- Liquid smoke
- Curry powder
- Cumin
- Fresh herbs - thyme was great, I could see rosemary being wonderful too!
Lessons learned:
- Pickled Okra is AMAZING!!!
- Garlic sometimes turns blue when you're pickling things! It's 100% safe to eat, but it can be really weird the first time you see it (it can also be prevented).
- Liquid smoke is the best! It is also very strong... that old glue saying: "dot, dot, dot, you don't need a lot" comes to mind
How I'd I'll do it differently next time (because I make these constantly!):
- Keep trying new ingredient variations! I need to get better about documenting which work and what different ingredients do to the flavor.
- Pickle EVERYTHING! I've put pickling cucumbers and peppers in with okra, next I'm thinking onions!