Follow our step-by-step, instructions to make this old Southern favorite side dish of garden fresh Okra and Tomatoes.
Okra and Tomatoes, fresh out of the garden goodness.
It’s near the end of Summer here in North Carolina, but fresh vegetables are still showing up in the garden. The Heirloom Tomatoes are pretty and full of good flavor, and the okra is – well – everywhere it seems. Smile.
Okra grows quickly once it starts producing. You have to cut it about everyday in order to keep up with it during its growing season. If you don’t cut it often, the pods get long, old, and too tough to eat. Some folks say they even have a “woody” texture to them once they get old.
The smaller pods are much more tender, so always pick those when you can.
I have a friend that recently shared a few pounds of okra with me. Her nephew had been sharing some of the bounty of his garden, so she wanted me to have some as well. Gotta love and appreciate friends. Smile.
My friend told me she had stopped breading her okra for the most part and now days she just sliced it and fried it. You can read about that and see the recipe for it here: Pan Fried Okra
With the larger pods remaining, I placed them in the refrigerator. It was several days later when I pulled them back out and they were getting close to being gone, but I couldn’t let such a gift go to waste.
A few pods were too old to use, but the rest cooked up nice and tender and I might have made a meal out of the bowl in the pictures above. It wasn’t “slimy” at all, and it was great to enjoy some fresh garden vegetables for a change.
Ready to try it? Then let’s head on out to the kitchen, and… Let’s Get Cooking!
Okra and Tomatoes Recipe, you’ll need these ingredients.
Rinse your tomatoes and okra under cold running water, scrubbing lightly to remove any dirt.
Dice your onion.
Maybe I should have called this Okra, Tomatoes and Onions. Smile.
Place a skillet over Medium heat on your stove top and let it heat up.
When the skillet is warm, add enough oil of your choice to lightly cover the bottom of the pan.
Here, I’ve also added about a Tablespoon of Bacon Grease for some added flavor. It’s optional, but add it if you’ve got it. You’ll really like the taste.
Add the onions to the skillet and stir them around a bit to cover the pieces with the oil.
Let these cook a few minutes until they start to turn translucent.
While the onions are cooking, go ahead and dice up your tomatoes. I like to cut these into large size pieces because they will cook down once they go into the skillet.
Add the tomatoes to the skillet.
Remove the ends from the okra and discard those. Slice the remainder of the pod into pieces about half an inch thick.
I must admit, this okra was getting close to going bad on me. A dear friend had given me a couple of pounds a few days back and I certainly didn’t want them to go to waste after she had been kind enough to provide them.
Small okra pods are the best. They’re much more tender. I did have to throw out a couple of the larger pods from what I had left because they were tough. You can hear it sort of pop when you go to slice it if the okra pods are “woody” as some folks call it.
Add the okra to the skillet.
Sprinkle on some black pepper. I used about a fourth of a teaspoon here.
And about the same with the salt. Just season it to your personal taste.
And… just a pinch or two of sugar. Mama would be proud. Smile.
Reduce the heat to just a notch or so below Medium and let this cook for 20-30 minutes or until the okra is tender. Stir it often as it cooks.
I cook mine uncovered so as not to end up with more of a stew. The tomatoes will release water as they cook and if you cover the pan it will steam and add more liquid to it all. That’s okay if that’s what you are looking for.
On the other hand, if yours is getting a bit dry, add just a little warm water to keep it from burning.
Continue to stir and cook until the okra pieces are cooked as tender as you like them.
Enjoy!
I had just finished a batch of Hot Water Cornbread, and I might have made my evening meal off of this bowl of Okra, Tomatoes, and Onions. I must admit, it made for a refreshing meal of fresh out of the garden goodness. Smile.
