Green Peppers Au Gratin

We didn't grow a garden this year, with summer school, work, and travels. Like every year, my future in-laws tended a bountiful garden. I got inundated with peppers and okra, so here's my favorite quick ways to cook and eat them:

GREEN PEPPERS AU GRATIN

Preheat oven to 400°F/205°C. Slice de-seeded peppers into thick strips. Lightly oil (I like olive) the skin side and lay on baking sheet. Mix equal parts of cream cheese, any type of tomato-based sauce (spaghetti, marinara, salsa, etc.), and shredded cheese (cheddar is nice). Add dashes of seasoning to the mix if desired (black pepper is good). Spread mixture onto pepper strips, and add topping if desired. Shown here with slivers of red onion. Garlic slices, olives, or herbs would be delicious, too.



Bake about 10 minutes on top oven rack, or until cheese becomes bubbly and starts to brown. Serve immediately.

Crunchy Fried Okra

I tend towards the quick and easy but delicious. We really love this stuff, so this probably makes 4 normal servings, but it's a hedonistic 2 servings for us.

CRUNCHY FRIED OKRA

Slice about 3 cups of fresh okra into 1/2" (1.25cm) chunks. Crack 1 egg into a large bowl and scramble with about 1/8 to 1/4 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp black pepper. Toss okra in and coat thoroughly, let stand for at least 5 minutes, tossing a couple more times. Meanwhile, mix 1/4 cup each of flour and cornmeal in large flat leftover container with lid. Fill large skillet 1/2" (1.25cm) deep with cooking/frying oil and heat to med-high.




Lighly drain okra and drop into flour mixture. Cover with lid and shake to coat. Scoop out okra (leaving behind excess flour) and drop into hot oil. Cook about 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown.