Okra, Onion and Tomato Salad

Today I am pairing fresh okra and purple onions with this week’s special guest, Tomatoes, to make a tasty salad. (It’s sort of a salad.)

This crunchy salad would make an excellent side to any meal this summer. It’s fresh, bursting with flavors and is served at room temperature, so you won’t have to worry about reheating it before you’re ready to dig in.

Bonus: You can find each of the veggies at your local farmers’ market.

To begin, grab your rinsed okra and place on a chopping board.

Next, you’ll want to lop off the top part of the okra and a tiny bit off of the bottom. Then, take your knife and slice okra in half length wise. Sprinkle with salt.

Heat a pan with olive oil on medium-high heat. When the oil is ready, place in a few slices at a time and cook in batches. Let these sizzle on each side for about six minutes.

FLIP!

You don’t want to overcook these! They will get too chewy. Take them out when they are just getting browned.

As the batches get browned, remove them to drain any excess oil on a plate with paper towels.

When all of your okra is ready, set aside.

Slice the purple onion, garlic cloves and shallots and place in a smaller skillet on the stove over medium-high heat and add olive oil.

Let this cook for about 10 minutes. You do not want these to cook all the way though. Just heat them up to soften a little and bring out all the sweet juices. After 10 minutes, taste one of the onions to see if it’s ready. It should still be a little crunchy.

Turn off the heat and dice your tomatoes. Pour them over the warmed onions to get them a little warm. You don’t want to cook these though.

Now you’re ready to mix!

Pour the okra in a large bowl.

Top with the onions, garlic, shallots and tomatoes and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Add in the juice of one lime.

Toss together well and serve.

Try this one soon! It’ll be more popular than your Aunt's baked beans and coleslaw.

Come back Friday for the final tomato post this week!

Cheers!

Christi

Ingredients:

Two pounds fresh okra
1/2 to one cup olive oil
1 medium-size red onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, diced
1 small shallot, diced (optional)
2-3 large tomatoes, diced
Juice from one lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preparation:

1. Cut okra in half lengthwise.

2. Pour 1/4 cup oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook okra in hot oil, in batches, about 6 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from skillet, and drain well on paper towels. Repeat with remaining okra, adding remaining 1/4 cup oil as needed. Set aside.

3. Add okra in a large bowl. Stir in onion, garlic, shallots, tomatoes, lime juice and seasoning in a large bowl until everything is equally coated. Serve at room temperature.