So Cooking is a Thing, Yeah?

Last week, farm-share at my work had okra and tomatoes (and a weird bag of frozen mashed potatoes) and I was like, "That's a whole meal," so I made okra and tomatoes with a side of mashed potatoes for lunch and dinner for a few days. One thing I haven't alluded to is being a southern goth, a Floridian goth to be specific. And food-wise I am wanting to learn more traditional soul food recipes. A while ago, my dad and I were having a conversation about the deciding factors of whether someone is a *real* southern cook.

 

To the uninitiated, it might seem like staples like fried chicken, coca-cola ham, pound cake and the proper ratios of butter usage are what one needs to be a good southern cook (this is not dissing any of those things, because have you had my nanny's/dad's/sister's/my pound cake!? I don't feel that I'm exaggerating when I say it's almost a spiritual experience). But our conclusion was that the secret is actually in the vegetables. Are they overcooked, grayish, and overpowered by salt and sauce? Or are they crisp and fresh, retaining their color, shape, and flavor? Does lettuce only come in iceberg flavor with a side of ranch? Or are arugula, curly endive, and red leaf lettuce making an appearance along with a variety of sprouts, fruits, nuts, and seeds; with homemade dressings customized with an extensive herb and spice cabinet? I confess to my own plebian tastes when I say that the only fish I really care about are catfish and salmon, but I am also confessing to only being a southern cook-in-training becoming one who should know how to clean any seafood the finds its way to my table (I'm sure you can't wait for that post lol).

Most of all, a true southern cook should know how to take the barest of fridges, freezers, and pantries and make something healthy and toothsome and satisfying for you and yours. Which is what the okra and tomatoes and the arugula frittata I also made that week (but didn't take pictures of 😞). It's the food that was available to me for free and fresh from the farm, so that's what I made. Fortunately, I enjoyed it, as well. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I'm going to attempt it again, this time following The Kitchenista's recipe for charred okra and tomatoes. I think I'll make yellow grits instead of mashed potatoes this time.


I look forward to the day that my gothic vegetable garden is fully underway, when this classic dish will take on a new look and (and maybe flavor) with all purple veggies: