A Summer Favorite: Fried Okra

Has anyone else been super excited about the weather the past couple days? Been feeling very fall-ish around here! But before I start pulling out my boots and hoodies, there is still technically another month of summer left to go. So tonight I made one of my favorite summer dishes for supper. Fried okra.

 My granny and mama have been making this for me all my life and now I make it for my family. It's really easy and sooooo good. I even make a few variations including my husband's favorite, what he calls "okra jubilee" which has okra, squash, and green tomatoes. Mmmmm. 

But tonight it's just plain ole okra. 

The first thing you need is okra. Duh. Wash them in a strainer and then cut the tops off with a knife and then just cut them up into small pieces and drop em in a bowl as you go. 

Then get a big gallon size Baggie and dump all the pieces in. I guess you could just skip the bowl altogether if you wanted to, and just cut your pieces right into the Baggie. But sometimes you spill some and make a mess so a bowl will catch any runaways. (My mama and granny don't use a Baggie, I just think its easier. But either way is fine).

Then dump in a couple scoops of corn meal. Some people use flour. We use corn meal. I also add some salt and pepper. Then just shake up the bag to evenly coat all the okra. 

Now heat up a skillet (preferably cast iron) and add about a half inch of oil. I use Wesson Oil and White Lily corn meal because that's what Granny uses. 

Once the oil is hot, add in the okra. I use a slotted spoon to scoop it out of the Baggie so I don't add too much extra corn meal. Don't mess with it too much at first or it will get mushy. Just let it be for a couple minutes until you see it start to brown and then give it a toss. After its golden brown and smells like heaven, you need to have plate with a few paper towels and your slotted spoon ready because it will burn quick. 

Scoop it out onto the paper towels to let it drain. At this point, while its still really hot, I like to sprinkle on a little more salt.

 While it drains I usually take my pan outside, dump out the grease, rinse it with a little cool water and then put it back in the stove on low. Once it's dry and warm, I'll put the okra back in to keep it warm until the rest of supper is ready. Plus it kind of crisps it up a little extra. Then it's ready to eat! 

This is one of my family's favorite summer dishes and its especially good if the okra is right out of the garden. I can remember being at my grandparents house when I was a kid and seeing Granddaddy bring in a huge basket of okra, tomatoes, squash, corn and peas from his garden and then Granny would cook it all up supper. Sometimes the simplest meals are the most delicious!