Ladies Fingers

         Bamyes in Greek,
         Okra
         Ladies Fingers

Those green slimy things that look like green beans, called bamyes in greek.  When fresh we trim the ends, spread them out in an oven tray, sprinkle them with vinegar and leave them in the hot sun sun for a few hours.

I can remember buying and preparing fresh okra when I first arrived here many years ago. Nowadays I always buy the frozen vegetable. I'm not sure if that is because I'm lazier or they are not as generally available. They are certainly not on the market stalls at the moment.

I don't like these very much but I eat them because certain traditional people in my household love them.  I either cook them simply with tomatoes and olive oil or with chicken pieces.

Okra with chicken pieces is the traditional people's favourite and it is not difficult to make so okra and chicken was on the menu last week.

Once the chicken is cooked in its tomato sauce I add the frozen okra (or fresh) and let them cook for about 15 minutes till they are soft but not disintergrating

Chicken and okra greek style

Fry onions, garlic and chicken pieces in olive oil till browned.  Add  fresh or chopped tomatoes, a glass of water, a glug of red wine, salt and cook about half an hour.  Add chopped parsley and the okra.  Gently give it all a stir and let them stew gently for about 20 minutes.  

Serve with feta cheese, bread and wine.  When we cook vegetables with meat we don't have a salad on the table.  In this case the okra is enough.

If you don't like the slime then try the recipe with fresh green beans instead

Kali Orexi