My daddy loved boiled okra, but it’s too slimy for me. Fried okra, on the other hand, is great with everything!

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　12 tender okra pods, 4 inches or smaller

　　1/2 cup all-purpose flour

　　1 large egg, beaten

　　1/2 cup cornmeal

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　2 cups peanut oil

　　

Step 1

Wash the okra and trim the stem ends. Slice each pod crosswise into 1/2-inch rounds. Place the flour, egg, and cornmeal in separate shallow bowls. Coat the rounds with flour, then drop them into the beaten egg. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the okra rounds to the bowl with the cornmeal and toss to coat.

　　

Step 2

In a deep-fryer or large cast-iron Dutch oven, heat the oil to 350°F. Lift the okra out of the cornmeal, again using a slotted spoon, and shake off the excess cornmeal. Carefully drop the okra into the oil piece by piece so it doesn’t stick together while cooking. Don’t overcrowd the pan; you will need to cook 2 or 3 batches. Cook until light brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the cooked okra with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt.

　　Reprinted with permission from Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen: Recipes from My Family to Yours by Trisha Yearwood with Gwen Yearwood and Beth Yearwood Bernard. Copyright © 2008 by Trisha Yearwood. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Trisha Yearwood is a three-time Grammy-award winning country music star and the author of the bestselling cookbook Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen. She is married to megastar Garth Brooks.