Chicken with okra

Since the day was very warm and sunny I had finally the chance to let the okras dry slowly in the sun,  sprayed with vinegar and salt . You know that the whole thing is going on well when the okras get some parts discoloured. First I had cut round the stems, just above the pods, so as they resemble a sharpened pencil's edge. I left them standing there for 2 hours and then I put them in the water to wash away the salt and vinegar.

Ingredients

250 gr Okra

4 organic chicken thighs

1 onion

1 garlic

1/2 glass of wine

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp of harissa paste

I started by cooking the chicken thighs in a tbsp of olive oil in strong heat, both sides, till they get brown. I took them out and kept them warm on a plate. In a big heavy-based pan I heated a tbsp of olive oil and added the onion and then the garlic.When they were golden and soft I threw in the chicken thighs and poured in the glass of wine. I waited until the alcohol evaporated and threw in  the harissa paste and the chopped tomatoes. I let them cook for 20 minutes in a low heat and then I added the okra and cooked everything for another 20 minutes. Often I would have to shake the pan so the food did not stick on the bottom. When everything is soft and cooked through the food is ready. To serve you can put some feta cheese on the top of the plate  to bring some more flavour to it.

An addition to this dish could be the use of spices. In my 2014 version I cooked the same dish but when softening the onions and garlic , I added a table spoon of my spice mix, including a mix of chilly, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds and cardamon, which i had previously heated in a frying pan untill the seeds started popping and pulverised the whole spices by hand in a mortar and pestle. The flavours were amazing!