Okra is one of those vegetables that you either love or absolutely despise. There is no middle ground. Many get a bad taste in their mouths (pardon the pun) for okra when they eat it stewed and from the can. It’s pretty slimy, I admit, but I like slimy when it tastes like okra. I am a southern boy and I adore this Cajun staple. Deep-fried okra is among my all time favorite things to eat.
I usually grow okra in my garden, but didn’t this year. I have, however, noticed the availability of okra in packages in most produce sections of the stores I frequent. On several occasions, I have bought a pack of okra, usually around $3.99 a pound, and have been most satisfied with the freshness and the quality.
Sometime, we’ll chop and deep-fry the okra, but a go-to dish for me is roasted okra. It’s almost as good as fried okra without all the deep fry mess to clean up.
Roasted okra. It’s unbelievably easy, it’s quick to prepare and it gives Home Chefs another green vegetable option. Here’s how,
Buy a pound of okra in the packaged produce section of the grocery store. Make sure it looks green and fresh, not brown and wilted. You can test for firmness by squeezing on one of the pods on top. Before cooking, wash the okra then dry thoroughly on a paper towel. When completely dry, toss the pods in a bowl with a little olive oil, spread them out on a cookie or baking sheet and coat in kosher salt. Roast in a 425 oven for about ten minutes, remove, flip the pods over and continue to cook until the okra begins turning brown. A pound feeds four, but if you’re lucky, someone at the table won’t like it and you can eat their share.
1 pound whole, raw okra
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt to taste