Okra Make-Over
Okra just might win the award for most maligned, or slimed, vegetable! But this method of preparation changes everything and results in a perfect finger food!
I grew up on the stuff and can happily eat okra sautéed, stewed or fried (my mother made a delicious dish of sliced okra and tomatoes baked with strips of bacon). But roasting it makes it a hit even with non-believers, as I discovered recently. Pirrie called out to Scott as soon as he walked in the door, “Dad, come taste my new favorite food.” I had purchased a small amount at the Wednesday Portland Farmers Market, not certain how they would figure into the evening meal. A very nice woman originally from Texas and I had a nice chat about our okra plans. We were both obviously tickled to have someone to talk about to okra (see… just buying such a Southern vegetable will make you say things like “tickled.”) I also couldn’t resist these adorable Fairytale Eggplant. Cook ‘em? Hug ‘em?
I was leaning toward a quick sauté, along with tomatoes and onions. But I was trying to recall something I had seen about roasting them? I don’t remember running across roasted okra in Louisiana, and I wonder why not? I thought it was worth a try. A quick look online revealed only a few recipes and different approaches (whole pods vs. sliced), but the argument to keep the pods whole was more compelling. In this way, the slime does not develop and the roasting caramelizes the natural sugar in the vegetable which results in better flavor. Small, more tender pods will work better than bigger, tougher ones. I tossed them with a very small amount of olive oil, salt and pepper and a smidge of ground cumin, and roasted 15-20 minutes at 400. (I’d probably up it to 450 and cut the amount of time next time for even better color and caramelization). I stirred some curry powder into mayo to make a quick dip, which was yummy, but it was just as good plain. Maybe a roasted tomato dip? We liked them just out of the oven, at room temp and even cold, the next day.
Turns out that okra is a nutritional powerhouse, but they will disappear because they are delicious. Now that we’re hooked, I’m just hoping I can find the okra again….
