Carolina Okra Beignets

[Eleanor Rose]

Okra sliced
Aravind Sivaraj [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
​

Okra thrives in the heat of Southern summers and so does our appetite for it. While many folks enjoy traditional fried okra (and it is indeed delicious), this treat takes on a whole new meaning when it's in the form of Carolina Okra Beignets.


Ingredients:

1 pound small, firm, fresh okra
2 medium onions, minced
½ small green bell pepper, seeded and minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup fine dry bread crumbs
½ teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
1 large egg
1 tablespoon half-and-half
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce (a little more if you like it spicy)
Vegetable shortening for deep-frying


Directions:

Rinse okra, remove stems, and thinly slice pods. In a bowl, combine okra, onions, and bell pepper, and toss until combined.

Add flour, bread crumbs, and ½ teaspoon salt, and toss again.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg, half-and-half, and Tabasco. Pour over the okra mixture, stir until all ingredients are incorporated, and let stand for about 30 minutes.

In a large, heavy skillet, heat about 1 inch of shortening to 375° on a deep-fat thermometer, drop okra mixture by tablespoons into hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crisp on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes, and transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with a little extra salt and serve piping hot.



Source: Community Cookbook Series

 

[CSA Today]

Photo by Matt Holsman
​

Okra thrives in the heat of Southern summers and so does our appetite for it. While many folks enjoy traditional fried okra (and it is indeed delicious), this treat takes on a whole new meaning when it's in the form of Carolina Okra Beignets.


Ingredients:

1 pound small, firm, fresh okra
2 medium onions, minced
½ small green bell pepper, seeded and minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup fine dry bread crumbs
½ teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
1 large egg
1 tablespoon half-and-half
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce (a little more if you like it spicy)
Vegetable shortening for deep-frying


Directions:

Rinse okra, remove stems, and thinly slice pods. In a bowl, combine okra, onions, and bell pepper, and toss until combined.

Add flour, bread crumbs, and ½ teaspoon salt, and toss again.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg, half-and-half, and Tabasco. Pour over the okra mixture, stir until all ingredients are incorporated, and let stand for about 30 minutes.

In a large, heavy skillet, heat about 1 inch of shortening to 375° on a deep-fat thermometer, drop okra mixture by tablespoons into hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crisp on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes, and transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with a little extra salt and serve piping hot.



Source: Community Cookbook Series

Yummy, a must try.

 

[Eleanor Rose]

Yummy, a must try.

This is so good! I think you'll really enjoy it!

 

[Deleted User CS]

Ellie. I never tried okra and it certainly does not appeal to my eye and I am sure my taste buds as well. I have been told that if okra is not prepared in the right way that it becomes very bitter and tastes absolutely awful. But I am sure that with your culinary acumen you would prepare delicious okra. David.

 

[donna]

I know my husband would like these. He likes okra very much.

Thanks for posting.

 

[Anna Elizabeth Henry]

Yummy! I haven't had okra in ages and usually stew it tomatoes so this recipe will be a real tasty treat - thanks!

 

[mofederal]

I enjoy okra a lot and I have had it prepared in many different ways. I have never had it taste bad on me ever, very tastey, and we have ate it raw on occasion. It is always good. A Texas newspaper in Austin during the Civil War said it made a good substitute for coffee.

 

[Shalom Hobbitess]

I have been told that if okra is not prepared in the right way that it becomes very bitter and tastes absolutely awful.

I've never heard that it can be bitter, but it is mucilaginous -- a.k.a., slimy when cooked. I like the taste alright and generally don't mind it in gumbo (although I skip it when I make it), but my college in downtown Denver had a little restaurant in it that did vegetable fritters, and I never liked the okra in that. The texture was just all wrong to me. But in soups it makes more sense, somehow.

 

[Deleted User CS]

I've never heard that it can be bitter, but it is mucilaginous -- a.k.a., slimy when cooked. I like the taste alright and generally don't mind it in gumbo (although I skip it when I make it), but my college in downtown Denver had a little restaurant in it that did vegetable fritters, and I never liked the okra in that. The texture was just all wrong to me. But in soups it makes more sense, somehow.

Thanks for the information. David.

 

[donna]

For those who like fried okra, give this recipe a try. They are very tasty.

 

[AshleyMel]

I must have missed this recipe! It does look delicious! My Nanny used okra all the time in her homemade soups and we had fried okra quite a lot during the summer months. My UDC Chapter offers pickled okra from time to time along with our jelly and orange marmalade.