Recipe of the Month – Guiso de Bamia (Okra Stew)

Guiso de Bamia (Okra Stew)

Serves 8-10

 

Growing up I did not eat a lot of okra, but as I have gotten older, my consumption has slowly increased. A couple of years back I was growing a couple of varieties of Okra and realized what an amazing vegetable it is. Its flowers are beautiful and while the vegetable is actually a fruit botanically, the culinary vegetable is really slimy raw. When made correctly in a stew or fried, it tastes quite delicious.

 

 Okra’s Nutrition Facts are pretty good. It is not calorically dense, has quite a bit of fiber (which can help promote digestion and regulate blood sugar levels) and has a decent amount of the following micronutrients: Vitamin K & C (which are important for immune function and bone health), and Folate, Manganese and Magnesium.

 

During my mother-n-law’s stay, we decided to cook okra and she decided on this amazing dish. She has been visiting my wife and I for a couple of months. I was able to find the okra at a farmers market, brought some home and we dove into making the recipe. My mother-n-law cooks in a different style than I do, but it came out delicious none-the-less. I figured I would share one more recipe of hers while she was in.

 

To learn more about me and some of these recipes, check us out at farmtobodywellness.com and on the Farm to Body Wellness Podcast found on Spotify and Apple Podcast. Until then, go ahead and check out this month’s recipe!

 

Ingredients:

 

• 800g Small Okra (sliced small)

• 640g Onion (medium dice)

• 640g Stew Beef (cubed)

• 700g Tomatoes (cubed)

• 700 mL Water

• 5g Garlic (minced)

• 4T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 10g Powdered Broth/Stock (optional)

• Salt, Paprika, and Cumin (to taste)

**Disclaimer: Recipes for cooking do not have to be exact in quantity or ingredient. If you have a different oil, type of salt, or any other ingredient, please use what you have. Enjoy!

 

Instructions:

 

Step 1:  Mise En Place, gather all of your ingredients and measure them out. The best bet is to prep them, so chop, mince, and dice. Then let’s go.

 

Step 2:  Sear the meat in a large pot with about four tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

 

Step 3: Remove the meat and place it aside in a bowl. In the same oil, saute the onions, and garlic until they become translucent. (make sure the heat is on medium low and if you want to speed up the process, you can add a little water and cover). Then add the tomatoes, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.

 

Step 4: After the ingredients have cooked down, add the meat back in, mix it all, pour in 700 mL of hot water and simmer on low heat for about 50 minutes.

 

Step 5: Once the time has passed, add the okra and cook for another 10 minutes.

 

Step 6: At the end, add the salt paprika, and cumin. If you used the powdered broth/stock, be careful as to how much salt you add.

 

Step 7: Enjoy!