Ode to Okra, part 1 – Cornmeal Crusted Okra

Growing up in New York City, I never even heard of okra. When I first started experimenting with cooking in college, I was home and wanted to make a brunswick stew, which called for okra. So I asked my mother what okra was, she shrugged and said, dismissively, “some southern vegetable, we don’t use it.”

Fast forward 20 years to my living in southern Delaware – the Northern South. Somehow I ended up with okra seeds, so I planted them in my garden to see what would happen. I was rewarded with hibiscus-like “trees” growing in my garden!

Although I still did not know what to do with okra, I kept planting it just for the aesthetic of the plant.

In the past few years I have discovered 3 distinct ways of cooking okra that I love:

Pan-seared
Indian – Bindi Chamatkar
Cornmeal-crusted

This is my first installment of Ode to Okra – one of my favorite vegetables…

Cornmeal Crusted Okra

1 lb okra (from the garden)

1 egg (from Farmer Kim)

3/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

safflower oil

Slice okra into about 1/2 ” pieces.

Beat egg in a shallow bowl. In a second shallow bowl, mix cornmeal, parmesan, cayenne and salt.

Working in batches (it took about 5 batches to do 1 lb), dip okra in egg, toss to coat.

Remove from egg and toss in cornmeal mixture to coat. Shake off excess.

Cover the bottom of a large skillet with safflower oil, about 1/4 inch deep. Heat over medium-high heat. Add okra. Do not overcrowd the pan (thus the 5 batches). cook about 2 – 3 minutes, toss to flip the pieces and cook on the other side for anothe 2 minutes, til golden. Add more oil between batches, if necessary. Bring it back up to heat before adding the okra.