Okra, Corn, and Tomato Stew

The Menu

Grilled Chicken Thighs

Okra, Corn, and Tomato Stew*

If you have even two drops of Southern blood running through your veins, nothing says SUMMER like okra, corn, and tomatoes - singly or in combination.  Today, I'll add a large onion, and a bell pepper from our local fields.  I'll sprinkle in a tablespoon of good chili powder for a little drama. 

The only tinge of sadness in this happy summer dish is my corn story.  Our corn did not make this year.  I don't mean it was a disappointingly small harvest; I mean it did not make.  Most of it germinated and then withered away.  Some didn't even bother to come up.  The few cobs of corn that did manage to appear were quickly consumed by some animal that was never identified.  I'll substitute a small can of La Costena Elote Dorado for the freshly scraped corn kernels called for in the original recipe. 

Okra, Corn, and Tomato Stew* - My Version

2 Tsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

15 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup okra, trimmed and cut into small pieces

1 220 gram can of elote dorado (whole kernel corn)

Minced parsley leaves for garnish.

1.  Place a large, deep skilled over medium heat.  Add the oil and then the onion and pepper.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until the pepper is tender - about 10 minutes.

2.  Add the tomatoes, okra, and chili powder, turn the heat to low, and stir.  Cover and cook about 10 minutes.  Check about half way through and give it a stir.

3.  Uncover and stir in the corn.  Because I used cherry tomatoes, my mixture was very wet.  I raised the heat to medium and cooked uncovered for about 5 minutes to reduce the liquid.  Adjust both the heat and covering of your stew according to the amount of liquid you have.  The final product should not be soupy.

2 generous servings

4.  Garnish and serve. 

The recipe is from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman, page 585.  It is virtually unchanged except for the corn substitution.

The rest of the story:  We left the vegetables, ready to be reheated; seasoned the chicken and seared it on the grill; moved the thighs off the coals; closed the grill; and went off in search of a clear view of the full moon rising.  We returned about 45 minutes later to discover that the fire had gone out and the chicken was still not done.  I gathered up the chicken and took it in the house.  10 minutes in a covered non-stick skillet and another 5 minutes in the same skillet with the vegetables made everything right.  It was delicious!

By the way, the moon sighting was a bust.  Too many clouds.