Greek Okra and Tomatoes

Serves 4 to 6

The first Greek immigrants to Birmingham, Alabama, arrived in the late nineteenth century to work in the iron and steel mills. Men came to earn money to bring over to their families and to pay dowries so that female relatives could marry. Some immigrants went into low-overhead ventures such as shoeshine booths, carts for selling candy and cigars, fruit stands, flower stalls, and—most interestingly—hot dog carts and sandwich wagons. Those fledgling food-truck precursors were the seeds that started Birmingham’s eventual prosperous Greek restaurant community. Greek immigrants are behind some of Birmingham’s most beloved restaurants—from Gus’s Hot Dogs to white-tablecloth fine dining establishments like The Bright Star to Jim ’N Nick’s BBQ, a barbecue joint with a commitment to sustainable food in multiple locations across the United States.

For this recipe, use fresh tomatoes when in season, but otherwise, I find canned to be perfectly acceptable. I am of the mind that you can chop, but you can’t unchop, so I generally keep only whole canned tomatoes in the pantry instead of myriad canned tomato choices. The easiest and least messy way to “chop” whole tomatoes is to insert a pair of kitchen shears into the opened can and snip a few times to cut the tomatoes into chunks.

• ¼ cup pure olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 pound fresh okra, stem ends trimmed, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 3 fresh tomatoes (about 1½ pounds), cored and diced, or 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, chopped, with juices
• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or marjoram
• ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)

1 Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the okra and cook, stirring occasionally, until the okra is bright green, 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook over low heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the okra is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the oregano and feta and stir to combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

The elephant in the room when it comes to okra is its famously mucilaginous texture. My top three tips for minimizing the slime are: add an acid, such as tomato, lemon juice, vinegar, or wine when cooking; don’t crowd the pan; and cook it quickly over high heat.