Oven-Roasted Okra: a Healthful Crown Jewel

This would have been a good post for the late part of February, a healthful potential crown jewel in the midst of so much rich Carnival season fare. Only my preconceived notion that good fresh okra would be hard to find this time of year kept me from featuring it. Because my records credit Food & Wine Magazine (date unknown) as the source for this truly great recipe, I figured it would be easy to find on line. Not only have my recent Internet searches failed to locate it anywhere, but over the past few weeks, fresh okra of excellent quality seems to have been just about everywhere. If you're looking for a terrific vegetable dish that requires very minimal preparation, this is would be my top choice. It's been a favorite from our kitchen for years, and I've had the pleasure of seeing it convert people who had previously not liked okra.

OVEN-ROASTED OKRA

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ pound fresh okra, the smaller pods the better

In a bowl, stir together the oil, the oregano, and saltpepperpeper to taste and toss the okra with the mixture. Roast the okra in a jelly roll pan in a preheated 500 degree oven, shaking the pan occasionally for 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender. Serves 2

Transcribed from Food and Wine Magazine sometime in the 1980's