I’m back! I’ve been absent from diversedinners.com for a little while – mia culpa.
I’ve been traveling, like I do, and the break from the kitchen threw my creative senses off for a little bit. Thankfully my travels provided much inspiration, and today’s recipe, fried okra bites with pepper dip, is the result of one recent inspiration.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a family holiday dinner without a spoonful or two of rice. Luckily, it’s not always the same rice dish, my mother would always mix it up and give us something interesting. So today’s dish is an homage to my mother’s family meals – okra fried rice. It’s so tasty, with fresh vegetables, pancetta, shallots, garlic and a teeny kick from some cayenne pepper.
Roasted okra is such a simple appetizer or side dish, it would be foolhardy not to add it to your menu, when you next have folks visiting. Preparation and cooking is quick and easy, allowing you to lay your concentration on the more labor intensive dishes on your menu. You may be asking, what makes roasted okra such a slam dunk for serving to guests? Well, first, as I said, they are so easy to prepare, and second, they look beautiful just sitting there on a plate or in a bowl dressed in nothing but a little oil and coarse ground salt.
