eat make read

One of the few productive things I did this weekend was brave the heat (at 8:30 am it was already in the 90′s) and go to the farmers market. It was totally worth it. Every vendor was overflowing with amazing, colorful produce. I found it hard to hold back and ended up coming home with a boatload of veggies including several varieties of peppers, okra, sweet corn, onions, scapes, tomatillos… so much goodness! So instead of heading out to brunch like we usually do, we locked ourselves in the a/c and I cooked up a bunch of those veggies (along with a little bacon) in stovetop New Orleans-inspired stew called Maque Choux (pronounced Mock Shoe). It was the perfect way to let the flavors of summer shine.

This is the kind of recipe that I love to make on the weekends. It requires a bit of chopping, but luckily it cooks up at a nice pace. Basically while you’re cooking one thing, you’re chopping the next thing that will be tossed in the pan. The whole thing takes about a half hour or so.

The result is a lovely celebration of summer. Each bite bursts with flavor, bright, sweet and a hint of spicy. If you’re anything like us, you’ll be eyeing the pan for seconds. As a bonus, this recipe makes a lot, in addition to seconds, we also had leftovers for the next morning. The next morning I took things a step further, making the Maque Choux more of a meal by pairing it with skillet biscuits and a fried egg. Honestly, I didn’t think Saturday’s brunch could get any better, but then again, when did a biscuit and an egg make something worse? It was like a little piece of heaven… summery heaven.

Maque Choux
from chow.com

4 ounces bacon, medium dice (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 pound fresh okra, ends and stems removed and cut into 1/4-inch-thick coins
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and medium dice
1 medium yellow onion, small dice
1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
Pinch cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
3 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 5 medium ears)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 medium scallions, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)

skillet biscuits, optional (any biscuits will do, I was just looking for a way to avoid turning the oven on).
fried egg, optional

1
Place the bacon in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a large paper-towel-lined plate; set aside.
2
Add the vegetable oil to the fat in the pan and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering and just starting to smoke. Add the okra and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown around the edges, about 5-10 minutes. It’s important to let the okra brown a bit, otherwise it will be a little mushy. Using the slotted spoon, transfer the okra to the plate with the bacon; set aside.
3
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the bell pepper, onion, garlic, jalapeño, thyme, and cayenne to the remaining oil and fat in the pan, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes.
4
Add the corn, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is crisp-tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the cream, stir to combine, and cook until the cream is almost completely absorbed, about 1 minute.
5
Remove the pan from heat and add the scallions and the reserved bacon and okra. Stir to combine, taste and season with salt as needed, and serve immediately.