African Okra Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Trim off both ends of okra pods.
• Slice 1/4 inch thick.
• Carefully place the tomatoes into a small pot of boiling water for about 30-45 seconds. Remove from water and peel off skin.
• Slice tomatoes in half and scoop out the runny insides, discard this part. Coarsely chop the fleshy part of the tomatoes.
• Dice the bacon and fry until crisp. Remove to papertowels. Save grease.
• Place all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the okra is just tender.
• *1-2 Tbl. bacon grease can (and should)be added to enhance the soup's flavor.
• **The lemon can be thickly sliced and cooked right in the pot of soup, or it can be zested and halved and the fresh juice can be squeezed over each portion when served to taste, and garnished with the zest.

Steps:

• Set an 8-quart Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add oil. When oil shimmers, lay in turkey necks and sear until evenly golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.
• Add 4 quarts water, smoked turkey, onion and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a heavy simmer, with the lid ajar to ensure the pot doesn't boil over. Check pot every 30 minutes to remove any scum that forms, and add water as needed to ensure that the meat is always submerged. Cook for about 3 hours or until all the meat is tender and broth is flavorful.
• While it's traditional to leave onion and bones in the soup (and suck meat off turkey neck as you eat), you can strain broth, remove onion and pick meat off bones at this point if desired, returning meat to broth. Either way, reduce broth to about 3 quarts, then stir in onion powder, paprika, cayenne and pepper, and season to taste with salt.
• Stir in tomatoes, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Taste, and adjust seasoning for salt, then add okra, reduce heat to low and cook until okra is just tender, not mushy, and still has bite to it, no more than 10 minutes. The okra will naturally thicken the broth as it cooks.
• Stir in corn and beans, cook for another minute or 2, then serve immediately with rice, cornbread and hot sauce. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Return to a boil for 3 minutes before serving.