Chicken and Okra Stew (Kotopoulo Me Bamies)

I enjoy reading the food blog of my Greek blogging friend, Peter.  His stories and recipes of all things Greek always remind of when we vacationed there.  Obviously I’ve had chicken, tomatoes and potatoes before, but the way Peter combines them with the spices he uses makes it very different to what I grew up with.  I was first introduced to okra (bhindi) in Indian cuisine and later in gumbo.

Okra comes from the same family as cotton, hibiscus and mallow. It grows in tropical regions and is widely eaten in Africa, India, the Middle East, the Antilles, South America and Louisiana.  Okra is at its best when it reaches 5-10cm in length (larger ones become tough and fibrous). Because okra contains a sticky substance with thickening properties, it is useful in soups and ragout, as well as in the popular dish gumbo. Okra has a subtle flavor similar to eggplant and asparagus. It was introduced to Brazil in 1658 and entered North America with the slave trade.

Okra is also known as: Lady’s Fingers, gombo, gumbo, quingombo, okro, ochro, bamia, bamie, quiabo. In Spanish okra is quibombo; the French word is gombo, bamia or bamya, in India it is bhindi, and in the eastern Mediterranean and Arab countries bamies.

Serves 4
recipe adapted from Kalofagas
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1 whole free-range chicken (cut into segments) or 4 chicken/thigh segments
250g of small, fresh okra, rinsed and trimmed (remove the stem and the tip without cutting the pod itself)
1 large onion, sliced
4 large, very ripe tomatoes, passed through a box grater
5-6 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
4-5 whole allspice berries
8 medium-size potatoes, peeled

Preheat oven to 190c (375f).  Rinse chicken segments and season well with salt and pepper.  Pour water over the chicken with just enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for another half hour, skimming the fat all the while. Remove the chicken from the pot and place in the bottom of a baking vessel.  Scatter potatoes around the chicken.  Reserve the stock.

In a large skillet, add olive oil, onion and some salt and sauté 7-10 minutes or until just translucent. Add okra and sauté for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, allspice berries and chopped parsley and stir and simmer for 5 minutes. Add just enough of the reserved stock to cover the okra. Gently stir. Pour the contents of skillet (okra, onions and tomatoes) over the chicken in a baking vessel. Season with salt and pepper, cover and place in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes. Take the cover off and bake for another 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes and serve.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: Simple ingredients but so delicious it’s almost impossible to say no to seconds!  Choose young pods, free of bruises that are tender but not soft. If overly ripe, Okra will become fibrous and sticky which is not a nice combination.