Okra

Growing up in Italy, I must admit I had never even seen or heard of Okra, but when I moved here I was finally introduced to it. My friend Chris usually puts it in his famous Ginger Soup, but this summer, during my family vacation in the Greek island of Paros, I tried a different version of it. The version I had in a small Taverna in Paros, was Okra with Tomatoes. I decided to try it myself and found a good recipe for it in an old Greek cookbook my mother gave me when I moved to London, called Greek Cooking by Lesley Mackley. I love Greek food because it is so simple but so tasty, and this Okra recipe was really easy and quick, so here it is (I changed it a bit):

Okra
Olive oil
Chopped Onion (She says to add a leek and a clove of garlic, but I only used onion)
Tomatoes (Chopped in small pieces)
Tablespoon of Lemon
Salt and Pepper
A pinch of Sugar

First, cut the stalks off the Okra carefully without piercing the pods.
In a large pan, heat some Olive oil, and then add the onions until gold.
Add the Okra and let cook for about 5 minutes, covering pan with a lid.

Now add the chopped tomatoes, (I added some passata as well as the chopped tomatoes to make it a bit saucier), sugar and lemon.
Let cook until sauce is reduced and Okra is tender.
Sprinke some salt and pepper and it's read to eat!

I love it a side dish with meat, enjoy!