Some people (and I am in the group) think okra is good almost any way you cook it. Others don’t like it at all. I like it soft fried, crispy fried, in soups, gumbos, and boiled using the small pods, but I had never made an okra casserole until a few weeks ago, when Mrs. Bobbie Tucker of Taylors sent me a recipe to share with you.
Bobbie and her husband Ronnie are members of Camp Creek Baptist Church in North Greenville Association. Jake Darnell is their pastor. She attends the Ruth Bible Class Sunday school, the monthly WMU meetings, and is chairman of the bereavement committee of Camp Creek. Ronnie also attends Sunday school, and they both serve on the hospitality committee.
Bobbie is retired from Union Carbide, and her husband from Mohawk Mills in Landrum. Bobbie used to do a lot of sewing but not so much now, and, yes, she still has stacks of fabric! Bobbie enjoys doing tatting, which she calls almost a lost art, and crocheting. She used to participate regularly in the Greer Community Ministries and still goes sometimes. She also has a vegetable garden, where she grows the okra for this good dish.
They have three children: Alan Tucker, Juanita C. Smith, and Michael Center, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Bobbie found this recipe in a cookbook a few years ago. That recipe had only the hush puppy mix, so she added the cup of onions, and later the peppers – which contribute both flavor and color to the dish. A few cookings after that, she added the cheese. Someone told her that she had added sage, but Bobbie hasn’t tried that. Some cooks like to cover the dish with aluminum foil for the first 45 minutes of baking to help with the browning, but Bobbie doesn’t.
The cooked dish freezes well, she says. You can also prepare it ahead, refrigerate it, then bake. If yours is a small family, bake the mixture in two dishes; freeze one and serve the other. Whether from the counter, refrigerator, or freezer, do try this Okra Casserole for a meal soon, maybe … Sunday Dinner.
Okra Casserole
6 cups (about 2 pounds or so) very thinly sliced okra (about ⅛-inch thick)
1 cup chopped red pepper (hot or sweet, or some green pepper)
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup grated cheese (any kind)
1 8-ounce package hush puppy mix (1½ cups)
1½ teaspoons each of pepper, salt, and Accent (adjust to taste)
3 eggs, beaten
⅔ cup vegetable oil
1½ cups whole milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease a 9×13 bake-and-serve dish or two 8×8 dishes. Combine all ingredients. Pour into the prepared dish. Bake for 45 minutes. Sprinkle on additional cheese if desired, and bake an additional 15 minutes. Serve warm.