Smothered Okra and Tomatoes with Sausage
This smothered okra and tomatoes uses frozen cut okra, tomatoes, and andouille smoked sausage and is cooked low and slow until everything melts into a rich, silky stew and served over rice.
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 8 oz andouille sausage cut into bite size pieces
- 2 TBSP bacon grease or lard
- 1 cup yellow onion diced
- ½ cup green bell pepper diced
- ½ cup celery diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes hand-crushed, with juice
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1-½ teaspoons Creole seasoning
- ¼ teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 lb frozen cut okra no need to thaw
- ½ cup green onions sliced, some reserved for garnish
- Cooked white rice for serving
Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed pot or cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons bacon grease or lard and the cut up andouille sausage. Let it brown for 4-5 minutes, rendering its fat into the pot.
- Add the trinity: onion, green bell pepper, and celery to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and the onions turn translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic cloves and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Pour in the whole peeled tomatoes, hand-crushed, with juice and chicken stock. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the bay leaves, dried thyme, Creole seasoning, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and apple cider vinegar. Stir together and bring to a gentle boil.
- Add the frozen cut okra (no need to thaw) straight from the freezer. Stir to combine and bring back to a gentle boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and let the pot smother for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the okra is fully tender.
- Uncover the pot and continue simmering for another 15-20 minutes, stirring more frequently now, until the extra liquid the frozen okra released has cooked back down and the pot has thickened into a rich gravy that coats the back of a spoon. If you like a more liquid base, add more stock.
- Remove the bay leaves. Taste and add more salt, Creole seasoning, or a touch more vinegar if it needed.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in most of the green onions. Save some for garnishment. Ladle over cooked white rice. To serve, top each bowl with the reserved green onions, and offer hot sauce at the table.
Notes
Frozen okra has already been blanched, so skip any urge to dry-saute it like you would fresh okra. Add it straight from the freezer, no need to thaw or drain first.
For a Lenten or meatless version, swap the sausage for smoked paprika and a splash of liquid smoke, and use vegetable stock.
Leftovers keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
