The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1907-12-11
CHICKEN aUMbO.
The vesssis and the Recipe 10 Use h. 4
Compromising Il.

n Compromising, H.
Even if Il man never took his eyes
of Ills, soup plate he ought to know
of his location as soon as he goes
south of Mason and Dixon's line.
Any one with u trace of sense could
| tell it by the okra.
Okra is as common in the south
uB it is rare in the north. 1t is said
to be synonymous with gumbo,
though some authorities declare
| That gumbo involves the presence OF
other items than merely okra, AS
the latter appears in American seed
catalogues under at least fifty diff
lferent names, there seems to be
room for some confusion.
1t is said that okra came original
ly from Africa, and indeed it has
been proved that the Egyptians used
lit long ago. Tons of it are grown
In Turkey and the northern part of
Africa, and it is a staple article of
food in the West Indies and Central
America.
In this country its principal use is
In making the various gumbo soups.
The pods not only give an agreeable
flavor, but ii peculiar mucilaginous
consistency, which is highly priced
by those who like it.
Sometimes the young seeds are
cooked as a vegetable, as green peas
are. Sometimes thcy.arc boiled and
served with French dressing as sal
ad.
According to directions issued by
the department of agriculture, no
copper, brass or iron cooking yes
sci should be used in preparing
5kra. The metal will discolor the
pods and even rend,r them poison
Gus. Use only agate, porcelain or
earthen ware.
The New Orleans Picayunc's cook
book gives the following recipe for
chicken gumbo: One chicken, one
onion, onc-half pod of red pepper
without the seeds, two pints of okra,
81 about fifty pods; two large slices
Of ham, two large tomatoes, one bay
leaf, one sprig Of thyme or parsley,
one tablespoonful each of lard and
butter, snlt and cayenne to taste.
Clean and cut up the chicken.
Cut the ham into small squares or
lice and chop the onion, parsley and
thyme. Skin the tomatoes and chop
ine, saving the juice. Wash and
stem the okras and slice into thin
layers of one-half inch each.
Put the lard and butter into the
soup kettle and when hot add the
chicken and the ham. Cover close
| ly and let it simmer for about ten
minutes. Then add the chopped
onions, parsley, thyme and toma-
toes, stirring frequently to prevent
scorching.
Then add the okras and when
we'll Drowned add the juice of the
tomatoes, which imparts superior
llavor.
The okra is very delicate and is
liable to scorch il. not stirred fre-
luently. For this reason many ere
5le cooks fry the okras separately
in a frying pan, seasoning with the
pepper, cayenne and salt, and then
add them to the chicken. Equally
good results may BIO obtained with
less trouble by simply adding the
okra to the frying chicken and
watching constantly to prevent
scorching. The least taste of a
scorch spoils the flavor of the gum
DO.
When we'll fried and Drowned add
about three quarts of boiling water
and set on the back of the stove to
simmer for about an hour longer.
Serve hot with nicely boiled rice.
Round steak may be substituted for
chicken, but it must be borne in
mind that the chicken gumbo is the
best red.-Washington Post.