I mentioned okra to my neighbor, Mary; she looked puzzled. I said ” you know, the little green vegetable with a hat that is fried and dipped in ranch dressing”; her face lit up ” Oh, yes of course, I have only had it fried”; that’s because in Texas okra is fried Mary. In Lebanon and other parts of the near-east, it is stewed and eaten with or without meat on rice. When okra or bamiah stew was announced in my days at home in Beirut,  I remember making a mental note to eat more halloum cheese that day! I did not really care for it; in fact, the fried okra that is traditional in Texas was more palatable to me! But hey, tastes change and I thought if I served it on a polenta tartlet, I might actually enjoy it.

Egyptians love okra too (they also call it bamiah); judging by my friend Phoebe’s reaction and comments whenever okra is mentioned, they eat it like Americans eat popcorn. A lot of it. I found some at the Palestinian grocer imported from Egypt and frozen; tiny, adorable little okra. Much easier to handle than the fresh ones!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 box of instant polenta
• 2  cups of water or stock or a combination of the two
• spices for the polenta like white pepper, paprika, Aleppo pepper, or any spices you like
• butter or olive oil as needed

Okra Stew:

• 1 large onion
• 1 pound of tomatoes
• 3 cloves of garlic, mashed with a dash of salt
• 1 pound of small frozen okra
• a generous dash of Aleppo pepper or a red chili pepper
• one chunk of feta cheese, if desired

METHOD:

1. Prepare the okra stew in advance, to save time; it can even be frozen. Chop the onion and fry in some olive oil. Dice the tomatoes and add to the onion mixture; add some water with some tomato paste if needed; cook for 30 minutes; add the mashed garlic the last 5 minutes of cooking. Cool and set aside.
2. Fry the okra in a skillet with a bit of olive oil; add to the tomato sauce after stir-frying it for a few minutes. Cook the okra and tomato sauce with chili pepper  on gentle heat for about 15 minutes. Reserve.
3. Prepare the polenta: I used instant polenta, following the direction on the package; basically, heat boil some water or stock, add the polenta slowly and stir for a few minutes; it will thicken; add some butter to make it a bit tastier if you wish, add some spices and a bit of salt.
4. Grease the tartlets with a brush and some olive oil; plop a generous 1/2 cup of polenta on each tartlet; using your fingertips, dip them in olive oil and pat the polenta evenly all over the tartlet mold. Brush oil on top of the  tartlets.
5. Bake the tartlets in a 400F oven for 10 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven, place a few tablespoons of okra stew and reheat when ready to serve. Sprinkle some chopped parsley on the tartlets and serve warm. Sprinkle some nuggets of feta and broil 30 seconds till browned and soft.

NOTE: I always place the feta cheese in a bowl of water, that I change frequently, in order to desalt it a bit.

Whenever I meet Lebanese expats I hear them  fondly  mention the yakhneh (stew) of their mother or grandmother. There is a huge portion of the Lebanese culinary repertoire dedicated to these yakhneh, encompassing every vegetable under  the sun and almost always with the same basic  formula: a stock made of lamb shanks (or shoulder cuts), a final flavoring of a garlic and cilantro pesto or mint pesto  and rice as an accompaniment to the stew. We had them several times a week at  home, with different vegetables. Unlike stews in the West which comprise a medley of vegetables, stews in Lebanese cuisine showcase one vegetable, such as spinach yakhneh, or green bean yakhneh, or okra or bean or zucchini, the list endless.

This one with peas and carrots is  an exception to the rule because both are given importance and the final addition of a cilantro pesto the last minute of cooking gives this dish a fantastic flavor. It has been a favorite with my kids throughout their childhood. As usual with Lebanese meals it takes several steps  and can be prepared in advance and frozen to be enjoyed later. I usually make a large quantity and freeze half of it.

Steps for making the stew or yakhneh:

1. Making the stock with lamb shanks
2. Adding the vegetable (s)
3. Making the pesto (aliyyeh)
4. Make the rice

Making the stock: The day before.

Ingredients: This quantity will yield 8 servings

• 3 lamb shanks as well as some lamb bones if available
• Spices: 1 teaspoon of  salt, pepper, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 2 teaspoons of allspice
• A bay leaf, one large onion, a few sprigs of parsley.

Method:

1. Wash and dry the shanks and sprinkle with all the spices.
2. Heat a large soup pot and brown the shanks on all sides, about 15 minutes.
3. Add enough water to cover the shanks and to reach within two inches of the top  of the pot.
4. Throw in a bay leaf, an onion, a few sprigs of parsley and cover the pot. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer gently for at least one hour  until the shanks are falling off the bone. If you see froth  at the beginning of cooking, remove it with a spatula.
5. Remove the shanks and place on a large plate. Remove and discard  the skin, filaments and  bones. Gently break apart large meat  pieces and place them in a plate to be added to the stew later. Cover the plate.
6. Strain the stock into a large bowl with a cover and place the bowl in the fridge for a few hours until the fat has congealed on the surface and can be removed.
7. Remove the fat and discard.

Making the stew:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound bag of frozen sweet peas (or fresh peas)
• 1 pound bag of carrots, peeled and chopped in small pieces
• 3 tablespoons of tomato paste

Method:

1. Heat the lamb stock to the boiling point. Add the tomato pasta and stir a bit to dilute.
2. Add the carrots and cook in the stock until they are done, about 20 minutes or more.
3. Add the peas and cook a few minutes longer.
4. Add the pieces of lamb shanks and heat the stew for a couple of minutes. Cool.

Making the cilantro pesto:

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, washed, dried, leaves plucked and chopped
• 10 cloves of garlic, mashed in a mortar with a pinch of salt

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil or clarified butter in a small skillet.
2. Add the cilantro and garlic to the skillet and stir for 1 minute until both become a compact mass.
3. When the fragrance reaches your nostrils, about 30 seconds later, turn off the heat and swirl into the stew. You can start with half the quantity if your are squeamish about too much garlic or throw in the whole paste. It freezes well in a small container, covered with olive oil.

Making the rice with vermicelli:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of Basmati rice
• 1/2 cup of vermicelli noodles
• 2 cups of water
• 2 tablespoons of clarified butter
• salt, to taste

Method:

1. Rinse the rice and place in a bowl with water to cover and a pinch of salt. Let it soak for 30 minutes or longer. Change the water 2 or 3 times.
2. Heat the butter in a pot and add the vermicelli noodles. Stirring frequently, let the noodles take on a nice brown color. Now, drain the rice and add it to the pot, stirring the grains until they get coated with butter.
3. Add the water with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
4. Cover the pot and cook on low heat  for 15 minutes until the rice is tender. Fluff it up and serve with the stew.

NOTE:

A lot of people like to add tomatoes or tomato paste to this stew. It is usually added alongside the carrots. I read a recipe in Anissa Helou’s book Lebanese Cuisine in which she foregoes the cilantro pesto and adds instead the peel of an orange and the peel of a lemon (sort of like the seasoning for osso bucco) which sounds delicious too!