Florence Fabricant’s Fried Okra

Florence Fabricant’s Fried Okra

Okra is still plentiful in the Market, but as fall is coming on and the days grow shorter and cooler, this heat-loving plant will stop producing pods. So we should get it while we can.

This recipe by Florence Fabricant from The New York Times is a fancier than the fried okra I grew up on, which was slicing the pods horizontally and stirring them in cornmeal and a little salt and pepper and frying them quickly in a cast iron skillet of hot vegetable oil. But Fabricant’s is nonetheless an easy recipe and certainly classier than just cornmeal and salt and pepper.

The Recipe

Ingredients

• 15-20 okra pods
• 2 tablespoon Cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• Vegetable oil

PREPARATION

1. Whisk cornstarch and 1/2 teaspoon salt into flour.
2. Beat an egg into the half-and-half. Slowly whisk this into the dry ingredients.
3. Add the okra and turn to coat.
4. Heat an inch of vegetable oil to very hot in a wok or pan and fry the battered pods, turning once, until golden.
5. Drain on paper towels, dust with a tad more salt and serve

This locally inspired recipe is brought to you by Pam Walker. Pam is an avid home cook, writer, and local farm and food activist who is also a board member of the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute. Thank you, Pam, for helping inspire us to use locally sourced ingredients!