Peloponnesian Kotopoulo me Bamies (Κοτόπουλο με Μπάμιες)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •wide ovenproof casserole or round metal tapsi, 32cm
• •large rimmed baking tray for drying the okra
• •box grater for the tomatoes

Instructions

1. 1

   Dry the okra

   Rinse the okra and pat it dry. With a small knife, shave the tough stem cap into a little cone, keeping each pod sealed. Put the okra on a rimmed tray with the vinegar and 1 teaspoon of the salt, toss gently, and spread it in one layer. Leave it in hot sun for 30 minutes, or in a 120°C oven for 20 minutes, until the pods feel dry and slightly tacky. This is the step that decides the dish: once the pods are sealed and dry, they braise whole instead of turning the sauce slippery.

   Buy the smallest pods you can, no longer than your little finger. Large woody okra does not become tender because you cooked it longer.
2. 2

   Brown the chicken

   Heat 60ml of the olive oil in a wide ovenproof casserole over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Brown it in batches, skin side down first, 4 to 5 minutes per side, until pale gold. It should not cook through yet. Move the pieces to a plate.

3. 3

   Cook the tomato

   Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions to the same casserole and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until soft and sweet at the edges. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then stir in the tomato paste. Add the grated tomatoes, hot water, bay leaf, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer for 8 minutes, scraping the browned bits from the bottom. The sauce should be loose now, because the oven will reduce it.

4. 4

   Bake the braise

   Heat the oven to 190°C. Return the chicken and its juices to the casserole, spooning sauce over the pieces. Nestle the dried okra around and between the chicken in a loose layer, then drizzle over the remaining 60ml olive oil. Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 25 to 35 minutes more, until the chicken is tender, the okra is soft but whole, and the tomato sauce is thick with red oil rising at the edges.

   Once the okra is in the pan, shake or tilt the casserole by the handles. Stirring breaks the pods, and broken pods cloud the sauce.
5. 5

   Rest and serve

   Let the dish stand for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Scatter over the parsley, then tilt the pan and spoon the red oil back over the chicken and okra. Serve with country bread and feta if you like. Rice is allowed, but the bread is what a sauce like this is waiting for.

Chef Tips

• •Small okra matters. Look for bright, firm pods with dry tips and no swelling. If the fresh pods are tired, use small frozen okra; that is a real Greek kitchen's choice outside summer. A giant woody pod is not improved by pride.
• •Tomatoes decide the sauce. In July, grate ripe tomatoes. In January, make another dish, or use good canned tomato and know you've cooked the household version, not the high-summer one.
• •Once the okra goes in, don't stir. Shake the casserole by the handles so the sauce moves around the pods without breaking them.
• •For the fasting table, leave out the chicken and cook bamies laderes the same way with a little more olive oil. That is not a lesser substitute. It is its own old dish.

Advance Preparation

• •Trim, vinegar, and dry the okra up to 8 hours ahead; keep it spread on a tray in the refrigerator, loosely covered.
• •The whole dish keeps well for 2 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water, and do not stir the okra hard.
• •If using frozen okra, spread it still frozen on the tray with vinegar and salt, then give it 10 extra minutes in the low oven before adding it to the chicken.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 430g)