To anyone that doesn't like okra because it is slimy, this is the recipe for you! My okra plants are just about finished producing, but they gave us many harvests this summer. As an easy to grow and versatile vegetable, I know that I will always have okra in my garden.
My husband loves okra. Particularly fried okra. He even requested a fried okra 'cake' for his 13th birthday. Since it is his favorite, I occasionally make it fried. But since frying is time consuming and messy I also looked for other ways to prepare it. My recent favorite, that Chris also enjoys, has been to cook it in a skillet with garlic. It is quick, tender, and incredibly flavorful!
I started with a great harvest of okra.
I cut off the tops, sliced into 1/2-1 inch pieces and put it in a pre-heated skillet with some water. I added water a little at a time as it cooked and waited until the okra was soft and the water completely evaporated. Then I turned up the heat and added oil to the pan to keep the okra from sticking and let them brown.
While the okra was cooking I sliced thinly 4-5 cloves of garlic.
When the okra was almost finished browning and getting crispy, I added in the garlic to cook for a few minutes until crispy and golden brown. You can also cook the garlic first, take it out of the pan and set it aside while the okra cooks and add it back in at the end.
After the garlic is done, mix everything together season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Chris and I ate that whole pan of okra in one meal! It was very good and not slimy at all. I ate it with a baked potato and some sprouts from thinning my kale and cabbage seedlings and some pot roast (not pictured).
