Roasted Okra — A Side Dish That Tastes Like Southern Summers and Smoke

June 2023. Memphis summer, 64 years old, and the heat wraps around Orange Mound like a wet blanket that nobody asked for but everybody wears because that is the deal you make when you live in the South. The smoker calls louder in summer — something about the heat amplifying the smoke, the way humidity amplifies everything in Memphis — and I answer, because answering is what pitmasters do.

Rosetta beside me through the week, steady as ever, the woman who runs this household with the precision of a hospital ward and the heart of a mother who has loved fiercely for 39 years of marriage.

Comfort food this week: a big pot of collard greens with smoked turkey neck, simmered for three hours until the greens were dark and silky and the pot liquor was a treasure. The kitchen smelled like Mama's kitchen in the shotgun house, and I stood at the stove and stirred and thought about hands — her hands, small and strong, teaching mine everything they know about turning humble ingredients into something that feeds not just the body but the soul.

I sat in the lawn chair next to Uncle Clyde's smoker as the dark came on, and I thought about what I always think about: the chain. From Clyde to me. From me to Trey, maybe, or Jerome, or whoever comes next with the patience and the hands and the willingness to stand next to a fire at three in the morning and wait for something good to happen. The chain doesn't break. The fire doesn't stop. And I am here, 64 years old, in a lawn chair in Orange Mound, Memphis, Tennessee, watching the smoke rise, and the rising is the living, and the living is the gift.

That week of collard greens and smoke and pot liquor had me thinking about the vegetables that hold Southern cooking together — the humble ones that get overlooked because they aren’t the star of the pit but are every bit as essential. Okra has always been one of those vegetables for me, born in the same soil as the greens, as unpretentious as a lawn chair next to a smoker. I roasted a batch to go alongside everything that came off the grate that week, and the char on the edges tasted like Orange Mound in July — a little fierce, a little sweet, and exactly right.

Roasted Okra

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh okra, stems trimmed, halved lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
2. Prep the okra. Trim the stem ends and slice each pod in half lengthwise. Pat dry with paper towels — the drier the okra, the crispier it gets.
3. Season. In a large bowl, toss the okra halves with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne if using. Make sure every piece is well coated.
4. Arrange on the pan. Spread okra cut-side down in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Do not crowd the pan or they will steam instead of roast.
5. Roast. Roast for 18—22 minutes, until the edges are browned and slightly crisp. No need to flip.
6. Serve. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately while the edges still have their crunch.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 85 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 7g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 295mg