Bamija – Bosnian veal and whole okra stew

Remove tough membranes from the veal and weigh out 700 g of boneless meat. Cut it into pieces about 3 cm across and pat dry. Finely chop the onion and slice the carrot. Dice the tomatoes, keeping their skins, seeds and all their juice. Wash your hands and the utensils used after handling raw meat. Keep the okra in the freezer until it is needed; do not thaw it and do not drain it.

Heat all the oil and butter over medium heat in a wide, heavy-bottomed pot with a lid, about 4 l in capacity. Brown the meat in two uncrowded batches for 4–5 minutes each, turning the pieces until lightly browned. Do not let the butter burn. Transfer the meat to a bowl, keeping all the fat in the pot and any juices that collect around the meat.

Add the onion and carrot to the same pot. Cook over medium-low heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until the onion softens. Add the tomato paste and sweet paprika, stir briefly, then immediately add all the tomatoes and their juice. Cook for 5 minutes. Pour in the initial 650 ml of hot water and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. Return all the meat and the juices from the bowl, add 8 g salt and all the black pepper, and bring to a gentle simmer.

Cover the pot and reduce the heat. Once a gentle simmer resumes, braise for 90–110 minutes, until the meat is almost tender and a fork enters it with little resistance. The liquid should only bubble gently. Stir along the bottom from time to time and check the amount of sauce. If it starts to run low, add small amounts from the 150 ml hot reserve; this is one shared supply for the whole cooking process. If the meat is still tough, braise it for another 15–20 minutes before adding the okra.

Add all the frozen okra straight to the pot and gently lower the pods into the sauce. Cover and wait until the liquid returns to a gentle simmer. From that point, cook over low heat for 20–25 minutes, until the okra is hot in the center and soft, and the veal is fully cooked and tender. Do not stir vigorously with a spoon, so the pods do not break apart; carefully move the pot by its handles if needed. Only if the sauce is reducing too much, use the remaining part of the same reserve of up to 150 ml. Keep all the liquid released by the okra.

The sauce should lightly surround the meat and pods. If it is too watery, cook the stew without a lid for 5–10 minutes over low heat, gently moving the pot. If the consistency is already right, skip this stage. Remove the pot from the heat, add all the lemon juice and carefully distribute it through the sauce around the edge. Taste and add some of the reserved 2 g of finishing salt only if needed.

Cover the pot and leave for 5 minutes. Divide all the meat, okra, vegetables and remaining sauce among 4 deep plates. All the braising juices and fat stay in the portions; do not drain anything. Serve hot, spooning carefully to keep the delicate pods whole.