Monday, August 10, 2009

Pink Margarita Slushes and Fried Okra

Because of the powerful heat and drought conditions we’ve had this summer, the farm with which we have a CSA share decided to let their plants rest for a couple of weeks. They postponed pick-ups and extended the time for this season. The schedule has now resumed, and I’m having a good time cooking with all the local, seasonal produce. Zucchini and yellow squash are in abundance, and right now, okra is ripe for the picking. There are some great southern dishes to be prepared with these vegetables, and I got to thinking about planning a meal highlighting as many of them as possible. My goal was to create an entirely vegetarian, southern feast, and it was easy to do. The meal began with frosty watermelon and tequila cocktails and fried okra. I left meat out of the menu, but I didn’t say it would be spa food, so yes, the okra was fried.

The recipe for the cocktail is from the Martha Stewart site. I noticed the photo of these pretty, icy beverages the other day, and when I received a little, round watermelon from the farm, this seemed like a perfect use of it. I cut the recipe in half to serve two, and that worked exactly right for the amount of cubed watermelon I had. Those cubes were placed in a blender with lime juice, sugar, and tequila, and the blender pitcher was filled with ice. That was blended until smooth and delicious. For the okra, I didn’t exactly follow a recipe, but this one from Emeril is pretty much how I prepared it. The okra was sliced and covered with buttermilk, and it was then dredged in a mixture of cornmeal, flour, salt, and pepper. Then, it was fried until golden. I made a mayonnaise dipping sauce to accompany it, and the recipe for that is below.

I’ve said before that okra may not be for everyone, but fried okra could be. The warm, crunchy goodness dipped into the spicy and tangy mayonnaise was a good fit with the margarita slushes. If you’re lucky enough to have access to fresh okra and watermelon, I highly recommend this combination.

Ancho Lime Mayonnaise

½ c prepared mayonnaise (Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise is my favorite)
4 or so dribbles Crystal hot sauce
½ t ancho powder
Zest of ½ lime
1 t fresh lime juice
pinch of cayenne (or more to taste)

-combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until smooth



34 comments:

  1. i'm not a big okra fan, but you could talk me into it after a few of those cocktails! (we have the same champagne glasses--love 'em!)

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  2. I'm pretty sure I could so survive on fried okra and Margarita Slushes. Yummmm!

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  3. Oooh that looks so good! What I would do to be there sipping on one and popping some fried okra in my mouth...

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  4. What a sweet treat in the cocktail! I've yet to eat okra - frying would be a good place for me to start! It looks so yummy with the dipping sauce.

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  5. Nice pics! We love some fried okra & will take margaritas anytime!

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  6. Ummm comfort food in the best way...

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  7. Pass me a margarita!!!! I've never had fried okra before. But it looks really good. I definitely gotta try that mayo.

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  8. I don't know what's calling to me more, the margaritas or the fried okra. Oh, heck. Just give it all to me!

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  9. vat a refreshing margarita for this hot summer!! love the pink colour on it.. fried okra is one my husbands favorite!! sounds delicious with the dipping sauce :)

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  10. It seems these fried okras can go with any drink.

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  11. Okra for dip frying, that is new to me. well gonna try this one. Guys try also the veggie recipes at Tanya's site, I like it.

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  12. Delicious! A great pairing!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  13. My goodness, Lisa. I was just telling someone who asked me today if I missed any American food after having traveled overseas for over a month, and I told them I missed fried okra! How odd was that. It's my all-time favorite southern thing. That and the mayo together sound so delicious.

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  14. OMG, Lisa, that okra looks as good as my MOM'S.
    Love the ancho-lime mayo. I'm just not sure if there's anything better than fried okra. Well, fried chicken's pretty good. Oh, and chicken fried steak. I'd better stop. :) Where's my Fry Daddy?!

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  15. Okra is one of my fave veggies and I'm going to try it one of these days as soon as I can find myself some cornmeal...

    This looks yummy!

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  16. This almost makes me wish for the heat and humidity of the South, just so that I can languidly sip these Margarita slushes while munching on the fried okra!

    Although I love the latter, I've never had much luck getting it just right - the coating is never quite crispy and the okra just comes out a wee bit slimy. In the past, I've resorted to pre-packaged, frozen stuff. Perhaps I should reconsider . . .

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  17. The color of that pink margarita is so summery. I've got Martha on TV in the background - she has some dam* good recipes.

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  18. Love the cocktail! Watermelon is on my top ten list of foods and I'm sure I'd love it combined with booze! I actually bought some okra the other day at the farmers' market but didn't have the courage to use it. I just don't like it. Maybe I'll try it your way...

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  19. The margarita slushes look so perfect for hot August days and the fried okra sounds delish!

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  20. the drink is lovely, obviously. most refreshing, i'm sure. however, i need to say that fried okra is one of the best things i've ever eaten and i tend to go hog-wild on the stuff. good for you!

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  21. I love the color of that margarita, it's just calling my name. I do love fresh okra, but never tried it fried. I haven't even thought they could be fried as they are so fragile when cooked. It sounds so intriguing for me, I2ll try. Then I hope I can persuade my husband to eat some.

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  22. I adore okra!! That looks like a lovely little dinner party snack. Thanks for sharing...

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  23. Now that's what I call cocktail time! What time does Happy Hour start? ;)

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  24. Lisa, that margarita slushy will go perfectly in this Texas summer heat! The okra, I love it in any form, however my husband dislikes it very much. I have not tried the Southern style fried okra, but I am tempted!

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  25. I really want one of those margarita slushes, it looks so delicious and refreshing!! The only way I've had okra is fried - I need to try it another way so I'm looking forward to your future posts with it!

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  26. I grew up eating fried okra, but have never actually made it myself. I guess I was always afraid that I might not make it as well as my grandmother or mom made it. Plus, my husband is from Chicago. I don't think he even knows what okra is. He wouldn't even try black-eyed peas for many years!

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  27. I am definitely loving the cocktail and the fried okra! Now that's the way to beat the heat!

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  28. hello good lookin' - I wanna come to happy hour at your house - these two look like champions to me!

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  29. I'm always excited when you give us a real recipe! I love ancho anything, even ancho ice cream (but that's a different story). I've been away for awhile and you've been reliably cooking -- I have lots of reading to catch up on. I'm not much for okra (Simon wishes I were - he loves the stuff. And I do mean stuff. What is it, exactly???) but I'm on it with the margaritas. Fun combo of things here.

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  30. the fried okra looks awesome. I'd love a bowl of it now for a snack.

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  31. I've always had such a weakness for fried okra - could pop them like popcorn - and with margaritas, you are an evil genius

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  32. oo yum! It's only recently that I started eating okra. Love it stir-fried with chilli!

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  33. Cool Cool margarita, how right for now! I am so ready to be out this 100 degrees.

    I love your spicy mayo, i do not like mayo, but never thought of making it spicy this way!

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