I miss the south sometimes. A lot of times actually. I miss the summer rains, the golden leaves in fall, the beautiful flowers blooming in spring and the biscuits. Oh man, the flakey biscuits. Whenever I don’t know what to cook, I’ll usually think of something super boring and then give it a southern twist.

I like to think that this is a dish a southern girl would make after she spent the summer backpacking through Europe. Maybe she spent a few weeks in Switzerland, maybe she had a fling with a Swiss dude (think Before Sunrise-like) and during that fling she ate at a restaurant and was introduced to the wonderfulness that is raclette.

This isn’t the “right way” to eat raclette. It’s usually cheese that’s cooked over an open fire, the cheese gets super melty and then the cheese is scraped onto awesome things like a variety of meats, vegetables and carbs.

This version is what this southern girl would make when she returned to the south, putting raclette cheese in mini cast iron pans, topping it with collard green pesto and sautéed fava beans and okra.

It’s a marriage of two places that I love so very much. Some of my best teenage memories took place in Switzerland. And some of my favorite childhood and college memories were in the south. It’s a meeting of two places that wouldn’t normally intersect.

I know not everyone is a fan of okra; it’s true that it can be slimy but I think that’s what happens when it’s super overcooked…or pickled. Okra is my favorite when it’s cooked with high heat and it’s creamy, not slimy.

The collard green pesto is soooo good and lovely but feel free to use another green if you like! All I know is that melted cheese with pesto and vegetables, mint and a bit of lemon zest, makes the entire world, no matter what is happening in it, so much better.