Louisiana Gumbo
Chock-full of shrimp, chicken, sausage, okra and tomatoes, this flavorful stew is a staple in Louisiana. Make it a meal and serve with Real Cornbread (see associated recipe).
Louisiana Chicken Drumsticks and Tomatoes
Get a taste of the south with this chicken drumstick recipe. Thyme, hot sauce and black pepper lend flavor to this perfect weeknight dinner option.
Sausage Gumbo
To keep it simple, we've opted for just the essential ingredients in this rendition of the hearty Creole favorite: sausage, okra, rice and a little spice.
Yellow Split Pea Sambar with Turnip, Eggplant & Okra
In Kerala in southern India, this classic stew is eaten at just about every meal. It’s typically enjoyed for breakfast with idli (steamed rice cakes) or dosa (rice crêpes). For lunch and dinner, it’s eaten with steamed rice and fish curry or braised beef dishes. Sambar powder is a mixture that includes coriander, fenugreek, cumin, black peppercorns, red chiles and asafetida. Find it at Indian markets or online.
Seafood Gumbo
Gumbo, a hearty stew made with anything from sausage or duck to rabbit or seafood, starts with a roux cooked until it turns dark and nutty, giving the stew recipe its signature earthy flavor. This crab and shrimp gumbo recipe comes from Eula Mae Doré, who was the cook at the Commissary on Avery Island, home to the Tabasco company. She learned Cajun cooking by watching, rather than from cookbooks. Serve with brown rice. (Recipe adapted from Eula Mae's Cajun Kitchen by Eula Mae Doré and Marcelle R. Bienvenu; Harvard Common Press, 2007.)
Vegetarian Gumbo
This flavorful vegan dinner is a veggie version of the Louisiana classic. It's chock-full of butternut squash, tomatoes, poblano peppers and okra, to name just a few. This vegetarian gumbo is a quick dinner packed with flavor and spice that's done in only 30 minutes. To make it a meal, serve it with cornbread drizzled with olive oil.
Okra Fry (Bhindi Masala)
To avoid the sliminess that turns many people off okra, Indians cook it over high heat in a lot of oil. In this healthy okra recipe, we get similar results with less oil using a nonstick pan. For an authentic taste, use a hot, smoky Indian chili powder, such as reshampatti. Serve with brown basmati rice and yogurt.
Black-Eyed Peas & Okra
This bean and okra recipe is a classic Southern side dish perfect for potlucks. Adding the okra toward the end of cooking guarantees a tender--not mushy--texture.
Okra & Chickpea Tagine
This quick and easy okra and chickpea stew is full of Moroccan flavors. The name “tagine” refers to the two-part, cone-shaped casserole dish in which countless slow-cooked Moroccan dishes are prepared. You don't need to prepare this in a tagine dish--it works well in a large saucepan--but if you have one, here's a chance to use it.
One-Pan Spicy Okra & Shrimp
Serve spicy blackened shrimp and tender vegetables over aromatic basmati rice for an easy skillet supper. Use precooked microwave rice so you don't have to mess up another pan. This one-pan dinner is perfect for company, but easy enough to make on a weeknight.
Grilled Cajun Jambalaya
Every one of the ingredients used in this grilled spin on a Louisiana favorite is awesome with some charred flavor. Plus, using a grill cuts down on the cleanup for this Cajun jambalaya recipe. Even the rice gets some smokiness from grilled tomatoes. Also known as the Holy Trinity, the combo of bell pepper, onion and celery (which here we swapped for celery seed) is used to flavor Cajun and Creole dishes like gumbo and this jambalaya. No skewers? Use a grill basket instead.
Brunswick Stew
This classic Southern stew has as many variations as people making it, but historically it features fresh game and smoked meat along with some vegetables. This veggie-loaded version gets great smoky flavor from a smoked turkey drumstick.
