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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Roasted Okra

On Monday, my co-worker Pam gave me an awesome gift — 11 perfect little green pods of okra from her garden. She recently spent some time away from home and returned to find most of her garden dead or dying from the insane Memphis heat. But she said her okra plants were producing like crazy (check out Pam's gardening blog here). The little okra pods were flawless, not a spot on 'em.

I knew I had to do something simple with these little guys, something that would bring out their yummy flavor without masking the taste with too many other ingredients. And then yesterday, it came to me. Duh. I'd make Roasted Okra:

Though I adore crispy fried okra and slimy stewed okra, I have a special place in my heart for garlicky roasted okra pods. And it's so freakin' simple. Honestly, I feel kinda silly even posting a recipe for this, but here goes.

Roasted Okra
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20 okra pods, washed
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Freshly ground dried garlic, to taste (optional)
Sea salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
Hot Sauce, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

If you want, cut the stem tops off the okra. Or you can choose to leave them on, as I prefer to do (when I eat them, I only eat down to the stem and discard that part).

Toss the okra with the olive oil in a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle with a generous amount of ground dried garlic (I buy dried garlic grinders), salt, and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until pods are lightly browned and tender.

Season liberally with hot sauce.

Question: What's your favorite way to prepare fresh okra?

17 comments:

  1. they look delicious. I had never seen this plant :)

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  2. although i've seen it all over the place, i've never bought and prepared it myself at home. now i have an inspiration, thanks lady! :)

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  3. I love Okra rolled in cornmeal and fried...that's how my grandma always made it-"accidentally vegan" :)

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  4. I snip the tops of the okra stems if they look brown, but I eat them - is that gross?

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  5. Okra is the one "southern" (non-meat) food I just simply cannot get into since moving down here. This looks great, honestly, but I can't get past the slime.

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  6. I keep reading about how great roasted okra is--I HAVE TO TRY IT!! I adore okra already, so I'm sure this will send me into a gustatory bliss! ;)

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  7. I love fried okra, but I must say my favorite dish is thing Indian style okra that my mom makes :) I have to try it sometime!

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  8. Roasting okra is probably my favorite way to cook it too, although I also love it is succotash.

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  9. Simple is best: RAW!

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  10. I don't have much experience with okra, but these sound great! Have a great day, Bianca!
    -Aimee

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  11. Don't feel silly for posting that recipe... it will be a lifesaver for me next time I get okras from my farmer!

    I got about 5 pods this summer, and I had no idea what to do with them to really get a taste of that veggie.

    Thanks!

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  12. I have never had okra! Isn't that nuts? This looks really yummy.

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  13. I just picked three more okra! I had a bag full, so I sliced them up, sauteed a little onion and garlic in olive oil, and tossed in the okra with a salt and pepper and a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes. Yum.

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  14. I tend to like okra best in cajun flavored stews but roasted sounds like a great idea. I never thought of that one.

    Ali

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  15. I have never heard of roasting whole okra! I can't wait to try this.

    I love okra in any form, but I usually make bhindi sabzi. (I get my recipe from a cookbook, but these sites look pretty close: http://foodwithapinchoflove.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/bhindi-sabzi-okra-dry-vegetable/
    http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/sookhi_bhindi_ki_sabzi)

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  16. Although it may be a simple and obvious recipe, I'm not from the south and know very little about preparing okra. And I had never thought of roasting it! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  17. I just stick'um the oven naked and they still taste amazingly delicious!

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