Tupelo Honey: Tasty Tues--Sauteed Okra {& Bachelorette Recovery}

Monday, August 6, 2012

Tasty Tues--Sauteed Okra {& Bachelorette Recovery}

I am very lucky to have some wonderful cooks in my family, and my Aunt Nita is definitely one of them.

Aunt Nita and me at my rehearsal dinner

She made this okra for dinner last week when we were visiting Tybee Island, and I loved it so much I called her up for the recipe/method to make it for dinner last night.

Andy had 3 servings.

What I love so much about this recipe is you still get the crispiness like you do in fried okra, but you actually taste the okra instead of fried batter. Plus, it's so much healthier. Have any of you tried oven-fried okra? Well, I have and did NOT like it. I love fried okra, and I might even go so far as saying that I like this version even better. You must try it! These measurements are more like "guess-daments"so just play it by ear when you make it.

1 lb. okra, rinsed and cut in pieces

(not that I am accusing any of you of not washing your veggies, but you canNOT skip this step because the wetness from the rinsing is what will make your "batter" stick)

*Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1. After rinsing your okra, cut it into about 1/4 inch pieces, discarding stems, and place in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Combine the flour and cornmeal in a small bowl. Add to okra and stir to coat. I only used about half of the mixture. You only need enough to lightly coat the okra...you don't want it to be too battered.

3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until it smokes. Add the okra and cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

*I used about 1 teaspoon or 1 1/2 teaspoons of Paula Deen's "House Seasoning", which is good on everything!

Here is the recipe for it: 1 cup salt, 1/4 cup black pepper, 1/4 cup garlic powder.

I keep it in an airtight container in the spice drawer and use it on just about everything...especially good on roasted potatoes!

On a side note, I am still recovering from a fun weekend in Wrightsville Beach, NC celebrating this girl's bachelorette. We had waaaay too much fun!