Serves 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ onion, minced
3 cloves garlic
1 small jalapeno, deseeded and minced
6 plum tomatoes, rough chopped
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
¼ cup chicken stock
1 bay leaf
2 cups of okra, sliced to ¼ inch thick
½ peanut oil
zest of one lemon
2 slices bacon (optional)
Salt to taste
- In a medium sauté pan heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add in onion and sweat down for 3 to 4 minutes, do not allow to them to get color. Add in garlic and jalapeno and cook for 1 minute. Add in tomatoes and cook for 4 to 6 minutes. Deglaze with red wine vinegar and continue to reduce for 5 minutes. Add in chicken stock and bay leaf and allow to simmer until consistency is similar to a thick tomato sauce. Salt to taste.
- For the okra, in a medium sauté pan heat ½ tablespoon of peanut oil (or other neutral oil) on high heat.
- Add in okra, make sure not to add to much okra to one pan, you want to have all the pieces touching the bottom of the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, keeping the okra moving through the cooking process.
- Finish 1 teaspoon butter and salt to taste. Add in the tomato “gravy” and lemon zest.
- Fans on bacon: Cut two slices of bacon into medium dice. Crisp in a sauté pan over medium heat. Use the bacon fat as a substitute for olive oil when cooking the tomatoes. Use the crisp bacon as a garnish when serving.
