We’ve planted a pretty elaborate vegetable garden considering that we live in the woods with limited sun and unlimited deer. So far there has been gardening success with the usual suspects, squash, zucchini, eggplants, cucumbers and peppers. Tomatoes are on the way. The most exciting thing is our new crop for the season – okra! First of all okra plants are really adorable with yellow flowers – kind of like a hibiscus.
The okra – once they show up - grow fairly quickly. Last night we had enough for a (small) first harvest to make Richard’s absolutely favorite dish in the world – fried okra. We picked a handful of okra pods and I showed Richard my quick easy batter. He thought you had to roll them in flour, and then dip them in buttermilk, and finally roll them in cornmeal, but guess what – I just mixed all that stuff together and added the cut up okra and they were ready to fry. While the oil heated in the skillet, I started on a basic ranch dip. Richard had the genius idea to harvest one of his jalapeno peppers from the garden and make Jalapeno Ranch Dip. I’m going to be honest here – for very little trouble, this was hands down the best fried okra I’ve ever tasted. It’s a great appetizer for a summer supper, or a perfect side dish with just about anything! The good news is that okra is available in all of the local farmers markets and grocery stores too. Make your friends and family happy by cooking a batch. You’ll be a culinary hero!
Fried Okra with Jalapeno Ranch Sauce
Ingredients
½ cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 tsp paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 tsp garlic salt
½ tsp lemon pepper
½ cup buttermilk (more if needed)
8-10 okra, sliced into half inch rings
Canola oil, about 1 cup – enough to be an inch deep in the skillet
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, paprika, cayenne, garlic salt and lemon pepper.
Stir in buttermilk, adding more if the batter isn’t wet enough to stick to okra.
Add okra to bowl and stir, coating them all in the batter. (Hands work best for mixing!)
In a large skillet, heat canola oil over medium high heat.
Fry okra in small batches until golden brown. Remove and place on newspaper and paper towels to drain oil.
Jalapeno Ranch Sauce
Ingredients
½ packet ranch dip seasoning
½ cup sour cream
4-5 shakes of hot sauce
½ diced jalapeño
Directions
Mix ranch dip, sour cream and Tabasco to taste.
Add in diced jalapeño and enjoy.
