Syrian Style Okra With Prunes And Apricots

The Hebrew word translated wine in Genesis 14:18 is “yayin.” This word is used over 130 times in the Hebrew Bible to mean fermented wine, not grape juice. Alcohol is advised for medicinal purposes. Paul told Timothy, “No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments” (cf. Pro. 31:6; Mk. 15:23; Lk. 10:34). Wine was used in the Old Testament ceremonies of worship (Ex. 29:40; Lev. 23:13; Num. 15:5). Wine is described positively in the Bible (Gen. 27:28; Psm. 104:15; Psm. 104:14-15; Pro. 3:10; Ecc. 9:7; Jo. 2:24). Water needed to be purified in the biblical times so wine was added to it. And although the alcohol content was less than today, it was still considered wine and still commonly consumed by the people. I believe Jesus drank this wine (Mt. 11:18-19), made a better wine during His first miracle at Cana (John 2:1-11) and used wine when He instituted the Lord’s Supper (Mt. 26:29). Yes, people like Daniel (Dan. 1:8) made a choice to abstain. Others like the Nazirites (Num. 6:3; Lk. 1:5) and the Levites (Lev. 10:9) were commanded to go without alcohol. Kings are advised to avoid it (Pr. 31:4-5). Yet I do not believe Scripture necessarily forbids a Christian from drinking alcohol. Consuming alcohol may be a sin. But I believe to declare that drinking alcohol is always a sin is a legalistic addition and should be avoided. We are free to abstain from alcohol. I personally think that’s the best position. But we are not free to condemn those who choose to drink in moderation as being either sinful or less spiritual.

Randy Smith

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Vegetables, Grains	Syrian		4	-6 serving

INGREDIENTS

1	T	Olive or vegetable oil
12	oz	Fresh small okra, stem ends
		and tips trimmed so as
		not
		to expose seeds -or-
1		10 oz frozen whole okra
		thawed and patted dry
2/3	c	Unsweetened prune juice
1 1/2	T	Lemon juice, up to 2
1	T	Tomato paste
1/8	t	Salt
1/2	c	Pitted prunes
1/2	c	Dried apricots

INSTRUCTIONS

From: The Jewish Holiday Cookbook by Gloria Greene.  In large nonstick
skillet, over medium high heat, heat oil then saute  okra until it is
very lightly browned about 3-5 minutes.  Combine prune juice, lemon
juice, tomato paste, and salt and mix very  well. Pour the mixture over
the okra.  Distribute the prunes and apricots among the okra.  Bring
the liquid to a boil; then cover the skillet and lower the heat.
Simmer okra and fruit, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes or
until tender and liquid has formed a thick rich glaze.  If necessary,
at the end of the cooking time remove the cover from the  skillet and
cook down the liquid, stirring often, until it forms a  glaze.  Posted
to JEWISH-FOOD digest by Rfmwinnie@aol.com on Sep 11, 1998,  converted
by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients) ---------------------------------------------- Calories: 163 Calories From Fat: 51 Total Fat: 6g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 751.6mg Potassium: 551.8mg Carbohydrates: 24g Fiber: 3.7g Sugar: 10.5g Protein: 5.8g