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