Mediterranean Okra and Tomato Stew

By Martha Rose Shulman

Published September 11, 2011

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
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Total Time
2 hours 15 minutes
Rating
4(228)
Comments
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Until lately, I hadn’t been a fan of okra. But then I learned how cooks in the eastern and southern Mediterranean treat this popular vegetable: they cook it whole, after tossing it with salt and vinegar and marinating it for an hour to make it less, well, slimy. Some regional cooks dry okra in the sun after salting it.Okra is low in calories, very high in dietary fiber, and a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, B vitamins and the phytonutrients glutathione, xanthin, lutein and beta carotene. For the best texture and flavor, buy the smallest pods you can find. Okra is stewed with tomatoes and onions throughout the Middle East and in Greece, where the vegetable goes by its Arabic name, bamyeh or bamyies. Traditionally, the stews are made with about three times as much olive oil as I use here.

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves four as a main dish with rice, six as a side

FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN OKRA AND TOMATO STEW

  • 2 pounds small okra

  • Salt

  • 1 cup red wine vinegar

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 medium onions, cut in half lengthwise then sliced thin across the grain

  • 3 to 4 garlic cloves to taste, minced

  • 1 pound tomatoes, preferably plum tomatoes, seeded and grated, or else peeled, seeded and chopped; or 1 14-ounce can, with juice

  • Freshly ground pepper

  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste diluted in ½ cup water

  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste

  • ¼ cup finely chopped parsley

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

32 grams carbs; 268 calories; 10 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 14 grams fat; 10 grams fiber; 1147 milligrams sodium; 7 grams protein; 11 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN OKRA AND TOMATO STEW

    1. Step 1

      Trim the stems off the okra, and place in a large bowl. Salt generously, douse with the vinegar and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour. Drain the okra, and rinse thoroughly.

    2. Step 2

      Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, lidded skillet or casserole. Add the onions. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the okra, and cook, stirring, for about three minutes until the edges begin to color. Add the garlic, stir together for about half a minute until fragrant. Stir in the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down a bit and smell fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

    3. Step 3

      Stir in the dissolved tomato paste, allspice and sugar. Add water if necessary to just cover the okra. Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer 45 minutes until the okra is very tender. Add the parsley and lemon juice, and simmer another five minutes. Taste and adjust salt. Remove from the heat, and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Tip

  • Advance preparation: You can make this up to a day ahead of serving. Reheat, or serve at room temperature.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
228 user ratings
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Comments

Marian V.

I like and cook okra. This is not too different from the stewed okra and tomatoes commonly cooked in the South. I think that either the marinating with salt and vinegar or the spices brought out the flavor of the vegetables more than most recipes.

Leela

A secret to avoiding slime in okra is this: handle it very gently at every stage--from picking (if you are so ambitious) right through the entire cooking process. Okra treated this way and cooked whole (not too long) is a tasty treat with wonderful textures in the skin and seeds. And no slime at all.

mu11e

I adore this recipe and think it’s a fantastic rendition of Greek bamias... evoking August evenings on the terrace in Athens. The lemon seals the deal. Upon discovering this recipe, I made it every Sunday for the 3 months straight I managed to find okra at my local farmers market.

jgivenshtx

I really don’t like slimy okra, so I roasted it at 375 for 15 minutes before tossing putting it in with the onion. I think it was the right call. That was the only change I made (besides halving the recipe because we only had one pound.) Everyone at the table adored it. Will be making again.

Caligirl

Tasty and the flavor is dead on where it should be. I used large okra past their prime, cut in 1-inch lengths (I personally wouldn't waste ideal okra on a stew). My family serves this with bread, not rice; pick a soft white bread without much sugar.

Priscilla

Not very different from my southern grandmother’s version. I love okra.

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