Okra, Roasted

Serves four

Ingredients

• 1 pound okra

• Salt to taste

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or grape seed oil

• Fresh thyme leaves to taste (optional)

• Freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450º. Rinse the okra, and drain on a kitchen towel. The okra should be dry. Trim away the stem ends and the tips, just the very ends, and then place the okra in a large bowl. Salt to taste, and toss with the olive oil or grape seed oil until coated.

2. Lift the okra from the bowl, leaving behind any excess oil. Place on a sheet pan in one layer. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes (large okra might take a little longer), shaking the pan every five minutes. The okra should be lightly browned and tender, with a nice seared aroma. If you don’t want it to brown as much, set the oven at 400º.

3. Remove from the heat, toss with fresh thyme, if desired, and freshly ground pepper. Transfer to a platter. Serve hot.

Okra, Pickled

This recipe was generously provided by the great and talented Becky Striepe of glueandglitter.com,eatdrinkbetter.com, and other spots of greatness.

Yield: about 3 pints

Ingredients

1 pound whole okra

1 tablespoon table salt or sea salt

2 3/4 cups apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup sweet onion, sliced

1 tablespoon dried dill/1 bundle fresh dill

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, chopped with seeds removed

Method

1. Combine the okra and 1 tablespoon salt in a colander, and toss to combine it really well. Let the okra sit for one hour, then drain and rinse well.

2. Meanwhile, combine the onion, vinegar, dill, garlic, and jalapeno right in a small saucepan. Heat the mixture on high until it comes to a boil, then simmer for just a couple of minutes, until the onions and peppers begin to soften.

3. Divide the okra between your jars, and pour the vinegar mixture over them. As you can see in the photo above, I used one quart jar and one pint. You can also use three pint jars, if you prefer.

4. Screw the caps onto your jars loosely, then tighten them when the jars have cooled to the touch. Let your pickled okra chill for 24 hours before serving.

Use within 3-4 weeks.