Okra Books

Ever wander through the farmers' market and see a vegetable that you may have heard of but never quite knew what to do with it? A rutabaga, for example? Bert Greene has the answers. He doesn't just serve up an assortment of tantalizing recipes for more vegetables than even a die hard vegetarian could readily name. But his essays at the beginning of each chapter weave food and cultural history, nutrition, personal narrative, and shopping advice into what can only be called a vegetarian devotional.
We probably have a half dozen vegetarian cook books, but we keep coming back to this one.

A passionate home cook that has been honing her cooking skills for the last 25 years writes this review. My favorite cookbooks are "The Professional Chef" by the Culinary Institute and "Culinary Artistry". With more than 500 cookbooks in my collection I am usually disappointed in my recent cookbook acquisitions. This book is a wonderful addition to any cookbook library. This book is NOT vegetarian. There are many vegetarian recipes and some vegan recipes, but there are also recipes that include meat.

The book is subdivided the vegetable those included are as follows:

Artichokes
Asparagus
Avocados
Beets
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery and Celery Root
Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplants
Fennel
Greens
Kale
Kohlrabi
Okra
Onions and Leeks
Parsnips
Peas
Peppers
Potatoes
Spinach
Squash
String Beans
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes
Turnips and Rutabagas
Zucchini

At the beginning of each new vegetable section the author covers a little history, nutritional facts, what to look for, and how to prepare the vegetable.

This book contains a variety of ethnic recipes. There are many French, and Italian recipes. But the author has also included recipes from the Netherlands, Basque region and the Southern USA.

There are many delicious recipes in this book. I think that my favorite is the sautéed peas with walnuts or maybe the baked potato-stuffed cucumbers. It is hard to choose a favorite recipe from this book since so many of them are winners.

I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in adding new vegetable preparations to their culinary repertoire.

I received this cookbook 20 years ago for a wedding present. I love it! Each vegetable is talked about as to what to look for in buying, what its historical uses have been(either worldwide or in his family), and what the author's favorite way of cooking it is. The recipes that follow are gleaned from many different sources. Not low fat, but high taste. I was given some fennel last year and had no clue what to do with it. Got out Greene on Greens and made some fabulous fennel bread.

Want to enhance your vegetable dishes with some new variety and spice? This is great resource to help.

Having sought our at times just these goals, this book has always delivered. For instance, winter squash blaws? Try Winter Squash Creme Brulee or or Spaghetti Squash Tetrazzini. Amazingly is the richness of flavor in a parsnip based dish called Pike's Peak Souffle.

Just examples to wet your interest to find and try this. Over 450 recipes, each clearly detailed to follow. Not exceptional ingredients of the hard to find category. From Artichokes to Zucchini, this is handy reference to follow.

If chance, pick up his volume, one of my favorite cookbooks, Bert Greene's Kitchen Bouquets. He's a great cook and writer!

Bert Greene's books are all terrific, but this one is my favorite. It never disappoints me; Greene himself had a warm, wise personality and a love of good food. The directions on vegetable preparation are exceptionally good. The recipes themselves are fantastic. Buy this one!

Anyone can complile a list of ingredients and a set of sterile directions. Gwen McKee does so much more! Her step-by-step section not only tells the reader how to make gumbo, but what to expect the dish to look and smell like during various stages. Get your cast iron skillet, a glass of wine and start stirring!

The first time I ever made gumbo from this book, it was a raving success. I didn;t think I was ever going to try this marvelous New Orleans recipe when I tasted it there. The opening chapter called step-by-step to great gumbo is exactly that and led me through it. Now I feel comfortable trying all sorts of gumbos and dazzling my guests. Great book

I've lived near New Orleans but have moved away. This book is authentic. Make gumbo by these recipes and you can't go wrong. I have used it many times and sent a few as gifts. Gives a lot more than basic recipes. A real "how to" cook book.

The Little Gumbo Book is a cookbook featuring twenty-seven gumbo recipes for anyone seeking to create and experience the unique flavors and varieties of this distinctive Cajun dish. Tips, tricks, and techniques for everything gumbo-related, from different ways for preparing roux (the browning of flour, crucial to the richness of gumbo) to using microwaves and crock pots, to low-calorie gumbo for the health conscious, and much more. A superb giftbook written with passion as well as practical advice, recommended for any Cajun food lover.

I've lived in Louisiana all of my life and learned how to make a roux when I was knee high to a grasshopper by watching my Aunt Mace stir and stir and stir it in her big black cast iron skillet or pot. Almost every recipe my Mama and Aunt Mace made started out with the words, "First you make a roux..."

I'm very happy to report that this book has the most wonderful recipes for roux and gumbo that I've ever read. My youngest daughter recently moved from Louisiana to Tennessee and was looking for a jar of roux in the grocery store. The store manager had no idea what she was talking about and had never even heard of gumbo. I immediately thought to buy her this book for Valentine's Day. I taught her to make a roux during the holiday season, so she's halfway to gumbo already.

A coworker gave me a copy of this book back in 1988 and I've completely worn out my copy. It's a one-of-a-kind treasure that should be in every kitchen, especially if you enjoy true Southern cooking.

Gwen Bobo hit the nail on the head when she wrote Okra Soup. She said a lot of things that people think, but don't say. She tackled an array of topics and situations for men, women and children. Her Boboisms are a must read.

The author states that Okra Soup is not a cookbook. But, that book definitely has the recipes to life.

After reading Chicken Soup for the Soul, I thought Okra Soup would be something similar. Boy, how wrong I was! Okra Soup is definitely more filling. It's filled with The Boboisms, which will make you laugh yourself silly, poetry which is great and blends in well with the stories, the author, Gwen Bobo tells, and her life is interesting to read about in the anecdotes as well. It was hard putting Okra Soup down. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to read about the real deal in life.

I am familiar with the author's home area and the "vernacular" of the area. Though I am only 26 years old, I have grown up hearing similar stories. I have planted, picked, cooked and eaten okra. It's rough on the hands and disposition when it's ready to pick, but what a reward when it "ropes" (ready to pick). The author is speaking "Southeast Kansas", a very entertaining and DIRECT form of "American". This book is a tongue-in-cheek work of fiction, that reminds me of "Picnic" by William Inge who was also from the author's hometown. Tongue-in-cheek=names changed to protect the "guilty". It's raw, rough, sad, funny, cruel and tender. Buy it, read it, and if you can ever find him, make him sign it! T. Goodner

Reading Until It Ropes Like Okra reminded me of my grandmother's kitchen. Growing up, I remember sitting in her kitchen as she cooked large amounts of food for the masses of relatives expected for family gatherings. I especially liked watching her concoct different dishes using Okra, because I always said I didn't like it, because it was too slimy, but later realized it was all in how it was prepared. Like those dishes, prepared by my grandmother, the author prepared an abundance of food for thought. The journey down memory lane was happy, sad, joyous and sometimes mad but a trip I definitely enjoyed. Congratulations to the author for providing such personal, believable experiences through his writings. Thanks for the memories.

T.C. Matthews Co-founder Prolific Writers Network

I CANNOT BE "OBJECTIVE." THE STORY IS GREAT. I WROTE IT!

A weird, dreamlikle book, almost impossible to describe - makes Gravity's Rainbow look like Biggles, in terms of complexity and non-linearity. It basically deals with the exploits of PaPa LaBas, voodoo detective, and his attempts to find and destroy Louisiana Red - an insidious force that causes anger and pain. But really, as far as literary descriptions go, this is about as comprehensive as "Finnegan's Wake is about this guy who's having a dream." The book's more like a kaleidoscope of American (specifically black) culture, leaving nothing out.

The quality of the writing can't be denied, and it's so full of brilliant images and ideas that it'll leave your head buzzing.