Okra lovers, help!

[vilasman]

I am working up on a dish that I am really liking but i need a little help.
It's sliced okra (the round way), onion, sweets peppers, tomato, garlic, portabello mushrooms, a combination of spices, with enough pepper to make you cough, ( can't say exactly what, because it's never the same, I just put some salt, pepper, herbs du provence, and a couple other spice mixes in the mortar and pestle grind it to some degree of fine-ness and then sprinkle it into the above veges)

I dump the above veges into a well seasoned cast iron saute pan with melted butter, add EVOO to mix to keep it from burning or sticking until the veges are just about to loose their crunch and then dish out.

Today i got adventurous and added some aged Romano cheese. Not bad. In any case, I have had a mix that was close to this, with salted jamaican cod fish , when I dated a jamaican.

The question is.... what meat can i pair with this to give it just a just a bit of meatyness. I want it to be a vegetable dish, but enough meat to give it some flavor. To give it some umph.

I am not quite sure how to accomplish this thought but I like the taste of overly spiced, if not blackened meat, be it lamb or beef. I like the taste of the little bits that come off in the pan, or that you get off the bone part of the meat when it's you, know just short of burnt. If I could get some of that into this okra...

Ever eat something and enjoyed so much it made you light headed? I am typing and eating my okra... when I finish this I am going to have to go re-coup

[texasgirl]

My thought is pork.

[jpmcgrew]

I think andouille(sp?) or some other spicy sausage would go well or any other meat you would find in Jambalaya.

[Uncle Bob]

To me your recipe sounds like a Theme and Variation on a Cajun/Creole dish called Okra & Tomatoes. My thoughts drift to small bits of andouille or tasso. Then I can't help but think small diced bits of Crawfish or Shrimp. Really I think any meat you enjoy would work.

Have Fun & Enjoy!

[carolelaine]

Dark chicken or turkey I think would be good.

[Andy M.]

Cubes of lamb

[Constance]

I'd go with Andouille.

[auntdot]

Love okra and tomatos.

Yep, I like the idea of andoille, or even an Italian sausage, and shrimp.

Think it would be great over a whole baked or steamed fish, or even blackened fish, but that was not what you seem to be interested in.

Good luck.

[Michael in FtW]

You're basically making Okra Creole - with the mushrooms providing some meaty texture for a vegetarian dish.

One thing you can do to add some more flavor is fry up 3-4 slices of smoked bacon - drain and crumble the bacon, and reserve. Now, cook your vegs in the bacon drippings in place of the butter and EVOO - and add the crumbled bacon back in at the end.

If you want to add some meat - dice up some smoked ham hocks or smoked turkey wings/legs, spicy sausage like tasso or andouille, some blackened fish would be nice, or crawfish tails, shrimp or lump crab meat - or even some diced chicken or smoked ham. My personal preference would be to 86 the mushrooms if adding meat.

It doesn't take much to turn this into a Shrimp and Okra Gumbo - just a couple of more steps - make a stock from the shrimp shells/tails/legs/heads (as you peel the raw shrimp just toss the shells, etc., into a saucepan and cover with 2-3 cups cold water - bring to a boil - reduce to a simmer, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes - then turn the heat off and allow them to steep for about 30 minutes longer, then strain), and make a dark roux. Add your onions, garlic, and bell peppers to the roux to saute = then add the okra, tomatoes, herbs and stock ... simmer for a few minutes (15-20) and add the shrimp at the end. Serve over white rice.