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89 yield: 8-10 servings yield: 6 cups Okra Casserole with Tomatoes Easy Greens with Applewood-smoked Bacon 2 pounds baby okra 1-2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper 3-4 ripe tomatoes 1 teaspoon organic chicken base 3-4 slices applewood-smoked bacon 1 medium yellow onion, sliced dash red pepper flakes or Tabasco 1 bunch greens (turnip, collard, mustard, or kale), chopped 4 cups chicken broth salt and pepper to taste Wash and trim okra. Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent and set aside. Sauté whole baby okra in same pan, add salt and pepper. Remove okra and line it up in rows in a 13x9 baking dish. Spread onion and garlic mixture on top of okra. Slice tomatoes in ½-inch rounds. Arrange on top of the okra mixture. Mix teaspoon of organic chicken base, I like Better than Bouillon brand, with 1 cup warm water. Pour over mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. In a deep pan, render the bacon, add onions until translucent, then add pepper flakes. Add greens and chicken broth. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, and if greens are bitter, add 1 tablespoon of sugar. This is one of my dad's specialties. He and my mother both loved to cook but of course when he cooked she was the prep chef! Okra is one of my favorite Southern vegetables. It's so versatile—you can fry it, pickle it, stew it, or bake it. People usually love it or hate it, there's no meeting in the middle, and that's just fine. If you're a fan, this is one delicious way to enjoy it. There are tons of possibilities with this one. Substitute the greens for fresh peas, field peas, lady peas, or crowder peas and add a bay leaf and some fresh thyme. Sometimes I'll add fat back or fresh pork lard from the local farmer's market to enhance the flavor. farmer's table

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