Foody Friday - Roasted Garden Hash

Our garden has done pretty well despite a drought. I harvested this little bowl of goodies this morning. Except for that green tomato up there. That was added by Little Miss Yahoo.

It's a great bowl of veggies but there hasn't been a bumper crop of anything this summer to justify me doing a lot of canning or freezing. So most days veggies come straight from the garden onto the table. 

Except Okra. I've been having a real hard time figuring out just HOW to fix okra. The problem with okra is when you cut it, it is slimy. There is like a sap that seeps out of it. Most people fry okra which is good but most days I don't have the patience to do the whole assembly line of batter. But if you just try to fry or roast okra by itself the sappiness can be an overwhelming texture. 

The best way I've found to fix okra is to first slice it and soak it in lemon juice water for about five minutes. This helps remove some of that sap. Then I toss the okra with tomatoes, peppers and onions....veggies that will add a stronger flavor to the okra. Toss it all with olive oil, salt and pepper and then roast in the oven on 350 for 20 minutes or so. 

And eat it right out of the pie pan I roasted it in. Who needs to dirty up another dish? 

This is the first year I've ever grown okra. On the positive side, it is a hardy plant despite drought conditions and there is always plenty of it to harvest from the garden. On the downside, it's a bit bland and there is always plenty of it to harvest from the garden. The biggest challenge with okra is finding different ways to eat it so you won't get sick of eating it. 

Other than battered and fried, have you ever eaten okra?