Ladi bamies

Greece's summer okra in olive oil: pods braised in tomato and fragrant olive oil until completely yielding, a ladera dish of the Greek domestic table eaten warm or cold with crusty bread

Origin: Greece

From the journey of Okra.

Ladi bamies belongs to the ladera: the great category of Greek vegetable dishes cooked 'in oil', slowly braised in generous olive oil until completely tender, then served warm or at room temperature. The ladera are one of the cornerstones of Greek home cooking: green beans (fasolakia ladera), artichokes (aginares latheres), peas (arakas latheros), and okra (bamies latheres) all follow the same principle of slow braising in olive oil with tomato, onion, and herbs. This tradition is both practical: these dishes keep well, improve with time, and can be served throughout the day; and deeply embedded in the Greek Orthodox fasting calendar, when animal products are prohibited on Wednesdays, Fridays, and during the long Lenten and Apostles' fasting periods. The Greek approach to okra differs from the Ottoman Turkish in one significant step: drying the pods in vinegar or in the sun before cooking, which reduces the slimy quality that some find off-putting and produces a cleaner, more firm result in the pot.

Ingredients

Vegetable

  • 700 g okra, stems trimmed to a cone

Pre-treatment

  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar (for the pre-treatment)

Fat

  • 100 ml extra virgin Greek olive oil

Base

  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, sliced

Sauce

  • 500 g ripe tomatoes, grated or diced (or 400g canned)
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste

Seasoning

  • 0.5 tsp caster sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper

Liquid

  • 150 ml water

Herbs

  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Method

  1. Trim the okra stems into a cone shape. Spread in a single layer in a flat dish. Pour over the red wine vinegar and toss to coat. Leave for 30 minutes. Then rinse and pat dry thoroughly.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 8 minutes until softened and golden. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes.
  3. Add the tomato paste. Stir for 1 minute. Add the grated or diced tomatoes, water, sugar, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook for 8 minutes until the tomato sauce has reduced slightly.
  4. Add the okra gently in a single layer. Spoon the tomato sauce over to cover. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for 25–30 minutes until the okra is completely tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened.
  5. Remove from heat. Scatter with fresh parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature with crusty bread, feta, and Greek olives.

Notes

Greek ladera dishes are among the most beautiful examples of simple, thoughtful vegetable cooking in the world; dishes where a few ingredients, treated with patience and the right fat, produce something far greater than the sum of their parts. The quality of the olive oil is critical: use the best Greek extra virgin you can find, and use it generously. The oil is not a cooking medium here; it is a flavour. Ladi bamies is part of the standard Greek fasting table and is served across mainland Greece and the islands throughout the summer months when okra is in season. The dish appears on menus at traditional tavernas as one of the standard ladera offerings.

The Gastrographer

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