I was trying out a different way to cook okras, in the oven and with a tendency to be crispy like a friend of mine likes them. However, I accidentally stumbled upon a flavor of my childhood- this was exactly how my grandma used to make them for us!! The scents and the flavors of our memories never fail to bring us back 🙂 This is how I re-created my Grandma’s okras…

Ingredients ( for a small pan ):

• 2 handfuls of okras
• 1 tomato chopped
• 2 teaspoons of agave suryp or 2 teaspoons of raw cane sugar
• 2 Tablespoons of fine chopped red onion
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 3 teaspoons of chopped parsley
• hot sauce
• olive oil
• vinegar from wine
• sea salt and pepper

Wash the okras well and chop their heads off. Leave them in a large bowl with vinegar for at least half an hour so that the slime escapes from them!

In a sauce pan coated with olive oil, sizzle over medium heat the onion and garlic. A couple of minutes later, add the okras, without the vinegar and let them sizzle (in order to allow the vinegar to evaporate and the okras to soften up). Stir them so they do not burn!

When you pinch them with a fork and they are somewhat soft, combine the okras with the garlic and onion in your pan, and cover them with the tomatoes. Then, add the agave or the sugar and a few drops of hot sauce. Finally, add the parsley, sea salt and pepper. Mix well and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes at 160° Celsius (320° F), or until you try one out to see if you like the texture!

You can either cover them with aluminum foil for the first 30 minutes and uncover them the last 10 minutes (if you don’t like extra crispy), or live dangerously and cook for 40 minutes uncovered, but careful – keep an eye on them so they don’t burn, and add water if you think they are too dry 🙂