SWEET POTATO SALAD W/ PICKLED OKRA
The other day, I embarked on a little pickling journey with my friend. I went into it blind; literally no experience in pickling or canning aside from reading about it but I have to admit that after just a few hours, I was absolutely hooked. Among the array of vegetables she and I pickled, the okra + green beans were especially intriguing. Okra is often dismissed for its sliminess. I get it. I can’t say that I would be perfectly content eating a bowl of just okra, but I wouldn’t say that’s solely due to its sliminess. By pickling okra, the vinegar sucks out about 80% of the slime and adds the right amount of bite and kick it needs. The pickling juice was pretty simple – vinegar, dill, chiles, garlic, some spices. I don’t think people would normally think to incorporate such a concoction with potato salad but it was quite the complement. A bit like adding capers [which is more "normal"] but so much more flavor intensive. Not to mention the awesome health benefits of okra! Google it… So we still have a month or two before the local farmers market shuts down for the season but I plan on stocking up on those organic veggies and doing some fun pickling/canning to last me through the winter!
INGREDIENTS:
- Sweet Potato (2)
- Red Onion (1)
- Celery (3)
- Dried Cranberries (1/3 cup)
- Apple Cider Vinegar (2 tsp)
- Red Wine Vinegar (1/4 cup)
- Dijon Mustard (1 tbsp)
- Maple Syrup (1 tbsp)
- Worcestershire Sauce (2 tsp)
- Paprika (1 tsp)
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Olive Oil
- Salt + Pepper
DIRECTIONS:
- Make the pickled okra/green beans ahead of time.
- Fill a pot with cold water for the sweet potatoes.
- Peel the sweet potato and cube into equal sized pieces. Toss the cubes into the cold water, add salt, and let the pot come to a boil. Cook the sweet potatoes until al denté (you’ll finish cooking them in the oven).
- Meanwhile, finely chop up your onion, celery, thyme and rosemary.
- Take about a tbsp of the chopped onion and add it to a small food processor. Also add the apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, maple syrup, worcestershire sauce, paprika, oil, salt + pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the vinaigrette into a large mixing bowl. Throw in the rest of your chopped onions, the chopped celery, herbs, and toss in the vinaigrette.
- Pre-heat oven to 375 F.
- Drain the sweet potato cubes, let cool a bit, then add to the large mixing bowl and toss with the other ingredients. Season with salt + pepper.
