Ochro steeped in culinary history

Ochro, also known as lady-fingers is probably the most commonly seen vegetable at the market. We enjoy them with sada roti, in the weekly callaloo, in fish broth; they add moistness to an ochro rice and coconut cook-up, it’s the main ingredient in Trinidadian coo coo.

They are served boiled, steamed, and smothered, it’s a main ingredient in American gumbo and you can even enjoy them raw. There are about 12 types of ochro, some small-finger ochro, some tinged with red, some are long and slim and somewhat pale some are bright green, some types of ochro even have varying degrees of slime or "gooeyness."

But have you ever wondered where this popular vegetable originated?

It is believed that ochro originated from the Abyssinian centre that includes Ethiopia and the eastern higher part of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan and West Africa.

The plant made it to the Southern United States at the beginning of the slave trade in the 1500s and soon thereafter to the West Indies. It was one of the few crops the slaves were able to bring with them from their communities in Western Africa. They gathered millet, ochro, black rice and other seeds, braiding them in to their children’s hair to provide them with an inheritance in an unknown land, and also to provide some comfort and nourishment to their meagre diets.

Ochro became the mainstay of their personal gardens, enabling then to create their familiar soups and stews. It was a main ingredient alongside the leaves to make a special soup, which when you think on it may have resembled our very own callaloo. So the next time you see ochro at the market, know that it is a vegetable steeped in strong culinary history.

Cornmeal crusted ochro

16 ochro

½ cup all-purpose flour

⅔ cup cornmeal

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

1 egg, beaten

coconut oil to fry

Wash ochro and pat dry.

Place flour in a plate.

Combine cornmeal, cayenne and salt in another plate.

Dredge ochro in flour, then dip into egg and dredge in cornmeal.

Fry in hot oil until golden and tender.

Drain on paper towels and serve.

Makes 16

Creole smothered ochro

1 tbs coconut oil

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped peppers

½ cup chopped celery

1½ cup chopped ochro

1 14 oz tin corn niblets, drained

1 8 oz tin whole tomatoes, crushed, with juice

1 tbs fresh thyme

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne pepper or 1 hot pepper, seeded and chopped

salt to taste

Heat oil in a sauté pan, add onions, celery, peppers, cook for about 4 minutes until fragrant and tender.

Add ochro, corn and tomatoes, stir to combine, add thyme, paprika and cayenne, season with salt and pepper, cook for about 30 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Serves 4 to 6

Ochro rice with coconut

2 oz salted cod

2 tbs coconut oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 hot pepper. Seeded and chopped

2 pimento peppers, seeded and chopped

12 ochroes, sliced

2 tomatoes, chopped

2 cups rice

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup coconut milk

Salt to taste

Soak salt cod in cool water for about 30 minutes, drain and shred into bits.

In a large sauté pan heat oil, add onion, garlic and peppers sauté until fragrant.

Add salted cod bits, stir then add okra and cook for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir well.

Add rice and turn to coat rice grains with oil and flavourings.

Add stock, coconut milk and stir to combine.

Bring to a boil, then cover.

Cook for about 20 minutes until rice grains are tender.

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serves 6 to 8

Caribbean gumbo

2 tbs coconut oil

2 tbs flour

4 cl garlic chopped

2 onions, chopped

4 tbs chopped celery

1 hot pepper, seeded and chopped

1 tsp paprika

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 cups chicken broth

28 oz tin whole tomatoes, in their juice, chopped

4 ozs chicken, chopped

6 ozs ochroes, sliced

1 cup corn niblets

½ lb small shrimp, peeled and deveined

salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

2 cups cooked rice

In a large heavy saucepan, heat oil, add flour and cook until medium brown in colour. Stirring constantly. Add garlic, onion and celery, hot pepper and paprika.

Cook for a few seconds, add peppers and broth, cook to boiling add tomatoes, chicken and ochro, bring to a boil and cover and cook until tender, 20 minutes.

Season with salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

Add corn and shrimp, cook for a further 5 minutes.

Place rice into small serving bowls, ladle gumbo over rice and serve.

Serves 6 to 8

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