Perfectly salted, a little meaty and with a good texture kept to the okra, this dish is one to be shared.
By Olivia Caminiti
Having only had okra once as a kid, it was a foreign ingredient to me. Of course that one time was when my friend’s native Texan Mama was frying it up. Living in Austin now, I am getting a taste of her town and okra ain’t hard to find y’all. Most commonly, as she presented it to me, it comes fried. Now do not get me wrong, I love the hot cornmeal crusted bits of a fresh okra but when cooking it myself I was not feeling like I needed to have another fried food. 
Okra was the first thing cooked in this California girl’s new kitchen. With the assistance of my wonderful man Johnny, we tapped into our Italian roots to mix up the flavors. Swapping pork fat for some pancetta and adding simple aromatics of garlic and onions, this okra dish thirsted for some chicken stock to drink up before hitting my southern table.
Perfectly salted, a little meaty and with a good texture kept to the okra, this dish was one to be shared. This okra does not sit heavy due to it’s simple cooking methods but does satisfy the soul. Here is another dish made of a fuse of cultures while being lightened with a touch of California technique. Enjoy & repeat.
PrintOne Pot Pancetta Okra
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Okra created from a fuse of cultures but always with a fresh take of a Californian.
Ingredients
- 1/4 lb. (4 oz.) pancetta, diced
- 1/4 medium white onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 lb. (16 oz.) okra, .5″ pieces
- 6 oz. low- sodium chicken stock
- 1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. red chili flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Render pancetta in medium-sized pot over medium heat till it starts to get color.
- Add onion and okra; cook till onions are translucent.
- Add garlic, pepper, chili flake and chicken stock; deglaze the bottom of the pot and then cook off the stock.
- When no liquid is left, saute for 1 minute to bring color to the dish.
- Serve immediately; Enjoy & repeat!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
Tried this tonight. My wife and I are big okra fans but wanted something at least slightly lighter than fried okra (and we had no cornmeal). It hit the spot for sure! We subbed shallot for onion, and I used a little olive oil when I got the rendering started on the pancetta. Regardless, it disappeared quickly. We will be making again.