Shove it in your Face!

Week of August 18th Okra, okra, okra! The farmer's market this week was filled with millions of these little fuzzy green guys. Okra to some is the underrated star of gumbo dishes or the perfect compliment to cool ranch dressing, but for most people, okra just conjures up childhood images of green gooey grossness. Love it or hate it, when something is this fresh and available in the markets, you just have to figure out a way to make it work. This week we'll be trying them sautéed, deep-fried and grilled. We'll let you know the recipes, what we've figured out and hopefully convince you that okra is worth trying. In other news from the kitchen, we've also started a batch of hard apple cider, so look forward to seeing more about that in the coming weeks. The picture for this week's post is from last week, the unquestioned winner of Best of Menu, Beef Empanadas with Spanish style rice and sautéed zucchini. The empanadas Schaefer made were rich and tasty, easy to prepare and stretched a bit over a pound of ground beef through three, happy filling, meals. Plus, the empanadas freeze easily before baking and make for a simple, last-minute, quick meal!

Details about this what we're eating this week after the jump:

Monday: Tomato Basil Risotto served with Black Pepper Sautéed Okra. Chardonnay. Tuesday: Deep-fried tomato basil risotto served alongside battered okra and a green leaf salad. Frosty mugs of PBR. Wednesday: Southwestern Corn Chowder served with fresh corn muffins. Trader Jose's Dark. Thursday: Pot roast served with Mixed Mash and grilled lemon okra. Burgundy. Friday: Pizza with fresh farmer's market toppings. Cabernet.