Tomato soup with okra
Last Updated on
ingredients
1 pk large shallot 250 ml tomato juice 5 pk okra 1 pk young small zucchini 1 tbsp dried garlic 2 pk bay leaves rosemary, basil, coriander 1 pk paprika sugar, olive oil, black pepper, salt
progress
Okra, less commonly known by its official name “hibiscus edible”, is a delicious vegetable. It is rare to get it on the Slovak market, even outside Bratislava probably very difficult. Nevertheless, I want to inspire you with this exceptional vegetable, because it can be grown on Slovak soil. Okra is similar in taste to paprika, my friend tastes like paprika and cucumber and we eat it raw, I didn’t like it raw. The fact is that raw can be fine if you grow it and pluck it straight from the bed. Then it’s crunchy, not woody. When I grew it, I don’t remember tasting it. Only cooked. Okra is an excellent thickener, native to African cuisine, often part of aromatic Indian cooking. When cooked, the grains form a clear, gel-like liquid, similar to starch… I bought this okra in Austria. I knew I was going to make tomato soup, so just for the sake of the recipe, a new ingredient came in handy. However, you can also get okra sterilized in tomato sauce or olive oil. That’s how I first encountered it with toast and prosecco on the Seine in Paris. I still remember its juicy and distinctive taste. It really is a delicious vegetable.
1.
Slice the shallots finely, cut the okra into rounds. In a hot saucepan, sauté the shallots in olive oil. When it becomes glassy, add the sugar with the garlic and chopped rosemary.
2.
Caramelize, add tomato juice (blended tomatoes), bay leaf, bell pepper cut in half and okra.
3.
Cook until the soup is sweetish in taste. If you have a pressure cooker, use that. You can also cut the peppers into small pieces, I take them out because of the kids, they don’t like them cooked.
4.
Flavour the soup with soft herbs to taste and grated zucchini.
5.
I always add a tablespoon of good quality olive oil to the tomato soup at the end. I have no idea why, but it tastes better that way . Homemade bread or herb croutons are great with the soup.
