Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-07-16
Table and Kitchen.
Practical Suggestions About What to
Eat and How to Prepare Food.

The okra or sumbo is a vegetable pal
excellence in the hands of a good southern
| cook.
| This vegetable, SO distinctively q south
ern favorite. is not so well known to north
| ern cooks except in large cities.
The seed pod Is the edible part Of this
plant and is wholesome and nutritious.
There are two varieties grown for the mar
ket; OF these the best Is the short, thick
green pod which will remain tender longer
than the long, slender ped, which is pale
! green and wiry.
The liking for okra is an acquired taste
with many, and those who are first intro
| duced to it in the south may not like it.
The creole method Of cooking is to stew
| 1t In as little water as possible and until it
Is sort of mucilage. If plenty of salt ed
water be used. and the cooking not pro-
longed after the okra is tender this pc
culiarity is avoided. OF course the pods
must be very young and tender or they
cannot be cooked in so short a time
Many do not know that the delicious fla
vor of the famous Georgia Brunswick stew
fs due greatly to the presence of okra well
cooked In the compound.
Tomatoes and rice seem to be the proper
accompaniment for this vegetable, and
corn is very frequently used.
The okra may be canned or dried for
"lieci use, anu WHeu not TO De ndU ITSSn
In the market can in this manner be used
all the year round. 1t is especially nice for
winter soups.
Dried Okra.
This may be obtained in the market when
the fresh is out Of season. 1t is sliced in
rings and evaporated like apples. The very
small tender pods may be canned whole
When dried 1t must soak in water for an
nour before cooking and then boiled in
sa!ted water until tender, which will re-
quire almost twenty minutes
okra may be dried at home with very lit
Tie trouble. Cut the pods in rings string
these on cords and hang them where thew
Will dry quickly.
Stevved Okra.
Take young and tender pods cut off each
end and wash them thoroughly, boil them
in sailed water until tender (about three
quarters Of an hour, then drain off the
water, season with salt. pepper and but
Ter and serve In covered vegetable dish.
Okra Gumbo Soup.
Cut two quarts of okra into rings and
add two quarts Of tomatoes and three
quarts OF water; put over the fire and let
1t boil; take young, tender chicken, joint
1t and fry a nice brown: put 1t into the
okra and tomatoes; make a brown sauce
with the fat remaining in the pan and add
to the soup. Add three small onions chop
ped fine. cup of corn and cup of lima
beans, and salt and pepper to taste Let 1t
simmer gently for several hours When
this soup Is served a tablespoonful of
green pepper, cut fine, is put into each
soup plate.
Stewed Okra With Tomato Sauce.
Trim the tender pods same as for stew
ing: cover one quart with sailed water.
add a slice of and 1,nfi oY1y
tender. Then drain and add one cup of to-
mato and one cup of brown sauce: salt and
pepper to taste and simmer until okra Is
done.
Okra With Rice.
Prepare one quart Of okra as for stew
ing; put them in saucepan with a pint Of
tomato pulp, half a pound of ham or lean
bacon cut into cubes. small onion and a
red pepper chopped fine and pint of good
broth or stock. Simmer gently for half an
hour Just before serving add a table
spoonful Of gumbo fllet powder; let 1t boil
up once and serve with boiled rice. The
rice may be heaped in the center Of the
dish.
Okra sauted, Creole Style.
Wash. trim and cut into slices quart Of
young, tender okra; place in granite
saucepan two tablespoonful Of butter, a
medium-sized onion. a medium-sized green
pepper. both minced fine; stir over the fire
until a golden brown. then add three large
tomatoes peeled and cut into pieces. three
tablespoonfuls Of Spanish or some hot pep
per sauce and salt to taste, and the okra
Cover the saucepan and simmer gently for
half an hour. Turn out on a hot dish and
sprinkle over with teaspOonful OF minced
parsley and serve.
Brunswick Stew.
Stew a large fowl until the meat leaves
ha nd homes
and chop the meat in coarse pieces. Re-
turn to the liquor; add pint OF corn
scraped from the ears. a pint OF young
lima beans, three cups Of tomato, a good
sized onion minced fine, a pint OF young
okras, a small red pepper. minced. little
celery seed two tablespoonfuls OF butter,
and salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce
to taste Simmer until okra Is tender and
then serve.
The addition Of a little paprika just be-
fore the stew is taken up improves 1t
greatly.
The large pods may be stewed in sailed
water, cut into rings or In long slices,
dipped in butter and fried.
Medicinal Value of Vegetables.
Many vegetables exert very direct medic
inal effects, and it may be we'll Tor the
housewife to inform herself as to the ma
ture OF these III OIucA lAot GIN AiieAS WYNN
more tnteNigently in contracting daily bills
of fare A well-known authority gives the
following table:
Asparagus Is very cooling and easily d.
gested.
Cabbage, caullfiower, Brussels sprouts
and broccoli are cooling, nutritious, laxa-
tive and purifying to the blood, as a tonic:
but should not be eaten too freely by deli
cate persons.
Celery Is delicious cooked, and good for
rheumatic and equity people.
Lettuces are very wholesome. They are
slightly narcotic, and lull and calm the
mind.
Spinach is particularly good for rheu-
matism and govt, and also in kidney dis
eases.
Onions are good for chest ailments and
colds, but do not agree with all. owe may
add, uncooked, they do not agree with
many.)
Watercresses are an excellent tonic.
stomachic and cooling.
Beetroot is very cooling and highly nu-
tritious, owing to the amount of sugar it
contains.
Parsley is cooling and purifying.
Turnip tops are valuable when young and
tender.
Potatoes, parsnips, carrots, turnips and
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