Fried Okra

It's still a bit early for home grown okra, but you this is a fantastic recipe to have :) I've included the traditional directions for pan frying and the directions for deep frying. I prefer deep frying b/c it's a little bit less labor intensive. It also frees me up to do something else while the okra is frying. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

• okra, sliced in 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 pint buttermilk
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• peanut oil

Directions

In a small bowl, soak okra in egg and buttermilk mixture for 5 to 10 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, salt, and pepper. Preheat oil to 350°F. Dredge okra in the cornmeal mixture, coating evenly. Carefully place okra in hot oil; stir continuously. Reduce heat to medium when okra first starts to brown, and cook until golden. Drain on paper towels.

Tip: An easier way to cook this is in a deep fryer. Heat oil to 350°F. Coat the okra in the cornmeal mixture. Put okra in fryer and cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Tip for frying food

I came across this tip on realsimple.com and thought I'd share it here. This is a pretty simple tip, but I figured not everyone out there fries food on a regular basis, so you might need this. I have actually done this before *blush* and ended up with soggy food.

Mistake #7: You Fried Food in Oil That Wasn’t Hot Enough

Whether you’re panfrying or deep-frying, food will absorb too much oil and become heavy and greasy if the oil is below 350° F.

What to do next time: Use an oil with a high smoking point (the temperature at which it begins to burn), and get it good and hot. Safflower, peanut, grapeseed, and canola oils are ones to try. Then follow these tips to tell if the pan is hot enough for cooking.

• If you don’t have a deep-fry thermometer, do a test run, suggests Sheerin. Dip a bit of whatever you plan to fry, like a corner of a fish fillet, into the oil. It should sizzle immediately if the oil is ready.
• You can also test a hunk of bread, which should brown in 10 seconds.
• If you goof up and put the food in too early, “pull it out of the oil immediately,” says Sheerin. “Just because you’re doing it wrong doesn’t mean that you can’t fix it.” Let the oil heat and try again.

Here's my special tip for ya. When you are done frying the food, instead of draining it on paper towels, drain it on a cooling rack. This allows the oil to drip of instead of being sucked up by the paper towels. Makes for juicy chicken :)