Ingredients
- 1 mess* of okra, washed and dried well
- Flour for dredging
- Buttermilk
- Stone-ground cornmeal
- Red wine vinegar
- Seikel’s Oklahoma Gold old-style mustard
- Olive oil or local pecan oil
- Tomatoes, sliced, diced, chopped or whole, if using pear or grape tomatoes
- Capers
- Finely diced red onion
- Fresh chopped oregano or other herbs of your choice
- Local feta cheese
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Directions
Place a large pot of peanut oil over medium- high heat until it reaches 350°F. Meanwhile, chop okra into uniform half-inch pieces and place in a medium mixing bowl. Season okra well with salt and pepper. Lightly dust with flour to absorb any moisture. Toss well. Add a little buttermilk to lightly but entirely coat the okra and toss well. Coat okra well with a heavy handful of cornmeal. Add breaded okra to heated oil, being careful not to crowd the pot. Cook in batches until golden brown and drain on a wire rack or on paper towels. Set aside.
Prepare vinaigrette by shaking or whisking together 1 part vinegar, 3 parts oil and the mustard to taste. Season with salt and pepper. (We used ⅓ cup vinegar, 1 cup oil and 2 heaping tablespoons vinegar for our mess of okra.)
Combine tomatoes, capers, onions and oregano in a large bowl. Add fried okra and feta and toss well. Drizzle with vinaigrette, toss well and serve immediately.
* If this term isn’t familiar to you, you’re likely very young or not from around these parts. A “mess” refers to the amount of fresh vegetable or fruit you just obtained or picked from your garden that will feed the number of people you need to feed at the next given meal.
