Okra with Tomatoes and Corn

I love okra but have never worked with this peculiar vegetable before, so I bought some and found from the internet that Okra with Tomatoes and Corn is a classic, simple dish. What the recipes didn't tell me (and I had to find out from the Chef at the hotel I work at, after I noticed the hotel serves this dish) was the crucial first step for taking the slime and bitterness out of okra.

1 small onion, chopped
2 good handfuls (and assuming most people have bigger hands than I do) of okra, stemmed and sliced ~1/2 inch thick
1 large tomato, diced
~1/3 can of corn
crushed red pepper

1. Take your okra and sautee with oil in a really HOT pan
2. Put aside and toss the onion into the pan till soft (no need for oil from here on out, just let 'em sweat)
   
3. Add the tomato and cook for short time to soften it
   
4. Add the corn, okra, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and simmer on low heat for another 15 or so minutes
5. Serve on rice or as a side dish. Sprinkling a little shredded parmesan can be a nice touch.