I might lose some subscribers over this, but I fried okra. (They kind of look like tater tots, huh?) Actually I breaded the okra and my husband did the frying. It all started with our CSA basket full of okra. Joe loves fried okra. He mentioned it four or five times and I pretended like I didn’t hear him because I don’t deep fry food. But, the sixth and seventh time he mentioned how much he loves fried okra, I caved.
I’m always talking about balance and moderation, right? Fried okra once in a while can’t hurt. (Just so you know, this was a real stretch for me!) I would not recommend this to anyone trying to shed pounds, nor would I suggest eating fried foods on a regular basis. This was a big treat at our house – at least it was for Joe.
Joe was out of town for quite some time, so I had to freeze the okra to keep it from going bad. I breaded it and put it in a single layer on a cookie sheet with waxed paper. I froze it overnight and then bagged it – this keeps it from sticking together.
He took over the frying duties. I used to work in restaurants and made fried foods all of the time but it’s been so long. I was happy to let him do it.
It really was fantastic – crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside. Joe was really impressed that the breading wasn’t greasy at all. I had a little bit…it was good, it’s just not my thing. But I proved that great fried gluten-free food is totally possible. And my husband got homemade fried food – for the first and probably only time.
Do you deep-fry? Or, do you make foods on special request because it will make someone you love happy?
Tomorrow – Holiday Food Fest starts! It’s being hosted by Liz at Hoosier Homemade. Link your favorite fall dessert – or just stop by and say hello. She’s giving away a fabulous cookbook from Pampered Chef.
Baking Day - If you haven’t seen my Baking Day post, stop on over and see my very first loaf of gluten-free bread. It turned out pretty well for a first-go-round!
This post is linked to What Can I Eat That’s Gluten-Free and Real Food Wednesday.
Gluten-Free Fried Okra
serves 4 as a side
Adapted from The Lee’s Brothers2 large eggs, lightly beated
3/4 cup milk
2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
3 tablespoons white rice flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1 pound okra, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
4 cups canola oil**If you want to keep the fried okra warm in the oven, preheat it to 225 degrees.
Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with waxed paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. In a separate bowl, mix together the cornmeal, rice flour, salt, and pepper. Add the sliced okra to the milk mixture, then move it to the cornmeal mixture and toss it around to coat. It’s ok to get your hands in the mix – it works better that way. Move breaded okra to the lined sheet pan. Repeat until all of the okra has been breaded.
Heat oil in an enameled cast-iron dutch oven (I used my 6 quart dutch oven but a smaller one would work.) until the temperature reaches 375 degrees on a candy thermometer. Transfer about 1/3 – 1/2 of the okra to the hot oil, depending on how large your skillet it, with a slotted spoon or mesh frying spoon. Let cook until golden brown, about 2 – 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with a double layer of paper towels. Once it has drained, you can move that to an oven-safe crock and keep it warm if desired.
