Roasted Okra

Okay, I know it sounds weird. Roasted. Okra.  If you like okra, you'll like this.  If you don't like okra, well then, come back Sunday.   

So, roasted okra.  In trying to eat healthy, I've had to rethink how I eat most of my vegetables.  Some vegetables can easily be delicious and healthy.  Others have to be worked with.  The deal with okra is that I know so few uses for it: fried (favorite.food.ever), smothered (butter), and in gumbo (not quite a side dish).  I recently made the dry okra, which was tasty, but I was trying to avoid using so much oil.   Then I thought of sticking it in the oven, a la blasted broccoli, and figured "what the hell".  If it was horrible, we just wouldn't eat it.  Lucky for us, it was quite tasty.  Very okra-y, but that's okay with me. 

Roasted Okra

• 1 lb okra, chopped (again, I used the precut frozen variety)
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F.  Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

If there is a lot of excess moisture on your okra (say it recently thawed...), cover a plate with paper towels and then lay the okra down in a single layer to draw out some moisture.  Place okra in a medium sized bowl.  Pour olive oil over the okra, the stir gently to coat.  

 Pour the okra onto the baking sheet, making sure it is spread in a single layer.  Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the okra is dry (i.e., no longer slimy), turning the okra and moving it around occasionally.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

Dry Okra

One food that I have consistently loved throughout my whole life is fried okra.  Once I got older, I also developed a fondness for smothered okra.  .. and those are about the only two  ways I've had okra.  So when I came  across this recipe for dry okra, I just had to try it.   It's an Indian dish, but I think anyone would like it.  

Dry Okra
(Recipe adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking)

• 1 lb fresh okra (I used the frozen, chopped kind)
• 8 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground amchoor or lemon juice
• 1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Wipe the okra pods with dampened kitchen paper. Pat dry. Cut off the conical top and the very tip or each okra pod and then cut the pods, crosswise, into 7mm-1 cm (1/3 - 1/2 inch) segments.

Put the oil in a large, preferably non-stick, frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the cumin seeds. Let the seeds sizzle for 10 seconds. Put in the onions and okra, spreading the okra out evenly in the pan. Fry, stirring every now and then, for 10 minutes, spreading the okra out evenly in the pan each time you stir. The onions should begin to brown by this time. Turn the heat to medium and continue to stir and fry the same way for another 5 minutes. Be gentle as you stir. Put in the salt, ground cumin, ground coriander, amchoor or lemon juice and cayenne pepper.

Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring or tossing gently as you do so.

Smothered Okra

I love okra just about every way I've had it. The only style I don't appreciate is pickled okra, and that's because I don't do pickled. Blegh. But otherwise, I love the stuff! That being said, I recognize that others might not like it. It has a special consistency and texture that might put someone off, but I feel that if given a chance, the flavor of the okra overcomes any qualms over its consistency.

Smothered okra is most likely not the best way to win people over to Team Okra. It's a bit.. moist (some might say slimy, but I wouldn't). But it's such a stereotypical Cajun dish and I'm just diggin' all the food I've been missing, so I have to post it.


Smothered Okra

• 1 lb okra, cut into 1/2 inch slices, or 1 pkg (1 lb) frozen cut okra
• 4-5 medium tomatoes, chopped (you want a pretty even okra to tomato ratio)
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
  

In a large pot over medium heat, saute onions and bell pepper in butter. Once they are tender, add the okra and tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Chachere's. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover the pan. Stir ocassionally, (frequently enough so nothing sticks to the bottom). Simmer for 30-40 minutes. Season to preference. Some like the dish salty; some like it with a cayenne kick. I choose the middle ground. It is such a delicious ground to tread.

You can serve this as a side to a variety of dishes. Its juices are delicious with rice.