Braised okra with tomatoes

Okra is often combined with tomatoes and coriander in various parts of the Mediterranean. In Lebanon and most of the Middle East it's known as 'bamia'. I grew up eating it in Lebanon with or without meat and served with rice.

In many parts of the world it is eaten in many different ways like stir fried, cooked in meat stew, pickled, with rice, deep fried, cooked in soups, and even raw with a dip.

Popular in the South, okra is becoming increasingly common in supermarkets and grocers all over the world. This small green pod is known as a key ingredient in the thick piquant soup called gumbo.

Okra's flavor and texture are unique. Its taste falls somewhere between that of eggplant and asparagus, and it marries well with other vegetables, particularly tomatoes. Not everyone finds this texture pleasing, but cooking the vegetable quickly will reduce the gumminess, allowing okra to be enjoyed as a stew or as side dish.

Frozen okra makes a substitute for fresh when used in soups and stews. I always buy frozen baby okras from a Turkish grocer not far from where we live.

If you are cooking fresh okra, trim just the barest slice from the stem end and tip, without piercing the internal capsule; prepared this way, the juices won't be released and the okra won't become gummy.




Ingredients (serves 4):
1½ lb (750g) frozen okra baby beans
3 tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
½ bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped
½ cup tomato passata (tomato puree)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp dried coriander
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch of cumin
pinch of cinnamon
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onions, garlic cloves and fresh coriander. Add the okra and sauté for about 5 to 7 mn stirring often. Add tomatoes, tomato passata, black pepper, allspice, salt, cumin, cinnamon, dried coriander and lemon juice. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered until okras are tender. Serve with pita bread or with rice.

Gombos aux tomates

Ingrédients (4 personnes):
750g de gombos surgelés
3 tomates, pelées coupées en dés
1 oignon, haché
5 gousses d’ail émincées
½ bouquet de coriandre fraîche ciselée
10 cl de coulis de tomates
1 càc de sel
½ càc quatre-épices
½ càc de coriandre sèche
1/4 càc de poivre noir
pincée de cumin
pincée de cannelle
2 càs de jus de citron
3 càs d'huile d'olive

Faites chauffer l'huile dans une casserole, et faites revenir l'oignon, l'ail et la coriandre fraîche. Ajoutez les gombos et faites revenir 5 à 7 mn en remuant de temps en temps. Ajoutez les tomates, le coulis de tomates, le poivre, les quatre-épices, le sel, le cumin, la cannelle, la coriandre sèche et le jus de citron. Recouvrez d'eau jusqu'à hauteur. Portez à ébullition puis baissez le feu et laissez mijoter jusqu'à ce que les gombos soient tendres. Servez avec du pain pita ou avec du riz.

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Coq au vin

Coq au vin is a French braise of chicken cooked with red wine (pinot noir, burgundy, or zinfandel), lardons (salt pork), button mushrooms, onions, garlic and brandy.

Coq au vin was conceived on peasant French farmer's kitchens. Coq au vin translates to "rooster in wine". The rooster would be kept until it was too old to be useful on a farm, at which time it would be killed and cooked. As an old rooster would be a tough one, the meat would be hard and stringy. In order to make this rooster edible, cooking it slowly in wine would soften it. Consequently, most modern versions use a chicken instead of a rooster. However, the old name "coq au vin" is always used, even if a chicken is substituted for the traditional rooster. So here's the recipe of the famous "coq au vin" where the chicken cooks in a luxuriously rich, velvety sauce, punctuated by smoky bacon and earthy mushrooms.

Ingredients (serves 4):
4 oz (110g) bacon sliced into lardons
1 tbsp olive oil
8 pieces chicken (I used 4 chicken thighs and 4 chicken legs)
salt
pepper
4 onions, sliced (or 20 pearl onions)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp cognac or brandy
2 cups red wine
1 cup chicken stock
thyme srpigs
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp flour
8 oz (225g) button mushrooms, quartered

Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove the bacon to a plate.

Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Season well with salt and pepper. Once the bacon has been removed from the pot, add a few of the chicken pieces in a single layer, and brown for about 5 minutes, turning to brown both sides evenly. Remove the chicken pieces to the plate with the bacon and repeat with the remaining chicken in batches until all of it is browned. Set aside.

Add the sliced onions (or the pearl onions), 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of pepper to the pot. Cook over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, and cook for a few minutes, until most of the alcohol has cooked off. Put the bacon, chicken, and any juices on the plate back into the pot. Add the wine, chicken broth, bay leaf and thyme springs. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just no longer pink.

Mash the 1 tablespoon of the butter and the flour together in a small bowl, and stir the paste into the stew. In a medium sauté pan, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and cook the mushrooms over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes, until browned. Add to the stew. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Coq au vin

Ingrédients (4 personnes):
110 g de lardons
1 càs d'huile d'olive
8 morceaux de poulet (j'ai utilisé 4 hauts de cuisses and 4 pilons)
sel
poivre
4 oignons émincés (ou 20 oignons grelots)
2 gousses d'ail, hachées
2 càs de cognac
475 ml de vin rouge
235 ml de bouillon de volaille
brins de thym
1 feuille de laurier
25 g de beurre
2 càs de farine
225 g de champignons de paris, coupés en quarts

Faites chauffer une càs d'huile d'olive dans une cocotte. Ajoutez les lardons et faites-les revenir environ 10 mn jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient légèrement dorés. Réservez.

Epongez le poulet avec du papier absorbant. Assaisonnez-le avec du sel et du poivre. Faites revenir les morceaux de poulet dans la cocotte sur tous les côtés. Réservez.

Ajoutez les oignons émincés (ou les oignons grelots), 1 càc de sel, 1 càc de poivre. Faites cuire à feu moyen environ 10-12 mn, en remuant occasionnellement, jusqu'à ce que les oignons soient légèrement dorés. Ajoutez l'ail et faites-le revenir 1 mn. Versez le cognac and faites cuire quelques minutes. Mettez les lardons, les morceaux de poulet avec les jus accumulés dans la cocotte. Versez le vin et le bouillon, ajoutez le laurier et le thym. Portez à ébullition puis laissez mijoter 30 à 40 mn, jusqu'à le poulet soit cuit.

Mélangez 1 càs de beurre et la farine ensemble dans un petit bol, et ajoutez ce mélange au ragoût. Dans une sauteuse, faites fondre la cuillère à soupe de beurre restante et faites revenir les champignons pendant 5-10 minutes, jusqu'à coloration. Ajoutez-les au ragoût. Portez le tout à ébullition et laissez cuire encore 10 minutes. Goûtez et rectifiez l'assaisonnement si nécessaire.

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