Sunday, August 6, 2023

Okra - Delicious and not Slimy

We’re back from a week at the lake and thanks to my friend Annette and husband Don, the garden is thriving. We have tomatoes, beans, peppers (poblano and green), turnips, and okra. Okra is a favorite vegetable at our house, we often make a lovely Indian dish called Bindhi Masala - flash-fried okra with onions and spices. If you’ve not tried it you must - it’s delicious.

Okra can be tricky to prepare. It can get all slimy, which is why so many people don’t like it, and until I learned how to cook it - I hated the slime too. There are many ways to reduce the slime but my favorite are:


  • Soak in a vinegar bath 
  • Wash and let completely dry before you even think about cooking
  • Cooking at high heat with olive oil
  • Roasting at a high temp 


Last night, after returning from the lake, I knew we had to use up some of the okra - it’s very perishable and once picked needs to be used in short order. We also had a cucumber that was aging and 2 tomatoes that were pretty ripe. I had some mussels in a garlic wine sauce (from Aldi - one of the best $4.00 you will ever spend), so I chopped, sliced, marinated, and roasted the ingredients. We had marinated cucumbers, tomatoes, onion and green pepper, mussels, and garlic-roasted okra. 





Ingredients:

  • 1 lb okra
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • 1.5 Tbsp melted plant-based butter

Instructions:

  • Rinse the okra and dry it with a paper towel (at least 30 minutes, longer is better). Trim away the stem ends, and then cut into 3/4 inch pieces. Place the okra in a medium-sized mixing bowl. 
  • Mix paprika, garlic powder, paprika, and salt in a small dish.
  • Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the okra and then add the melted butter. Mix well
  • Transfer the okra to a parchment-lined cookie sheet and spread them out evenly. 
  • Bake @ 450 degrees for approximately 15 minutes.


Enjoy - thanks for stopping by!




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