Cou Cou (caribbean Polenta)

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup fresh okra (or 1 package frozen cut okra)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 cup butter or 1/4 cup margarine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups water

Recipe

• 1 clean and wash okra. dice all but 6. add 3 cups of water to a large saucepan. add salt. add diced and whole okra. bring okra to boil for 5 minutes. remove pan from heat. save whole okra aside for garnish.
• 2 measure 2 cups of liquid from the cooked okra to use for cooking your cou-cou.
• 3 mix cornmeal in a large bowl with enough cold water to moisten and blend it together. stir the cornmeal slowly into the reserved liquid and okra. use a wooden spoon to mix together.
• 4 return pot to stove over medium heat, and continue stirring okra and cornmeal. cook and stir about 15-20 minutes. insert wooden spoon into center of the cou-cou if spoon stands up in the pot and is easily removed from cornmeal, your cou-cou is done.
• 5 cou-cou should be firm when it's done. if the cou-cou is oose and creamy looking, you have used too much water. if too much water is used, let cou-cou stand uncovered over low heat to "dry out."
• 6 when cou-cou is done, turn the entire mixture into a buttered serving bowl and garnish with whole okra.