Greek-style Okras

Fish soup and grilled fish, rabbit in a wine sauce, wild goat, grilled octopus, tiny deep-fried fish, lots of eggplants and zucchinis, tomato salads with feta and herbs, more tomatoes in dakos salads, white wine and raki, fragrant bread coated with sesame seeds, sweet preserved fruits, prunes and figs fresh from the tree... Here are a few of the amazing foods and wines I savored during my trip to Crete last July.

Now I'm back to endless days of stressful work, too short weekends and the wait for another escape to the other side of the world. In the meantime, dreaming of delicious foods and cooking dishes from paradise vacation spots is an easy cure to the traveller's nostalgia. I needed a fix last week and prepared okras - the greek way.

• Choose small, firm okras (1/2 pound)
• 2 ripe heirloom tomatoes
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 3 tbsp greek olive oil
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup water

1. Rince the okras. Cut the hard, round extremity of each of them but try not to expose the seeds.
2. Combine the vinegar and salt in a small plate or cup. Dip the cut end of each okra in this mixture and place in a deep pan.
3. Cube the tomatoes and chop the onion. Place in the pan over the okras.
4. Pour the tomato juice and the water in the pan.
5. Bring to a simmer and relax for about 20-25 minutes, while the okras are cooking. Do not toss during the cooking phase: it would break the okras and they would become sticky. Just let the magic happen without doing anything.