Grilled Okra

I starting grilling okra this summer, but now that I am no longer using the outdoor grill, I do it in a grill pan or under the broiler. Either way, we love it! How was I introduced to okra? I grew up in a classic heimishe Hungarian household, which is not conducive to raising a clean eater. A typical meal that I was served as a child consisted of the following items: kraut lukshen (cabbage and noodles), kilantut fleish (breaded and fried chicken breast), and letcho. (Okay, letcho is actually healthy, but that was the one thing I could only swallow while holding my nose. My palate has since evolved and matured.) When I was a newlywed, dinner at my in-laws’ house was an eye-opener for me. There was always another foreign green veggie on my plate, such as okra or artichokes. I learned that a) vegetables were not so bad, and b) I had a husband who would eat these things. Had my husband grown up in a house like mine, where veggies meant coleslaw or pickles, I’m not so sure I would have been able to be so free in my kitchen.

Directions

1. Toss okra with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Thread okra onto two skewers if grilling to make flipping it easier (otherwise, you will have to move it around occasionally to cook on all sides).

2. Grill two to five minutes per side, until okra is bright green and cooked through. Serve with lemon wedges.