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Enjoy your garden’s bounty with these recipes full of summer flavor.
Ashley Cuoco
Fried Okra with Comeback Sauce
Ripe red strawberries and tomatoes. Fresh okra and bunches of fresh herbs picked from your garden just this morning. Visits to your local farmers market. These are the gifts of summer, enjoy them now!
Okra is one of the garden’s gifts to summer and one of the best ways to enjoy it is fried, especially when it’s served with comeback sauce. What’s comeback sauce, you ask? It originated in Mississippi and is similar to Remoulade sauce. Simply a mixture of mayonnaise and chili sauce with a touch of lemon juice and spices. It’s the perfect dipping sauce with many fried foods including okra, fish and chips and fried shrimp.
In the mood for pizza but it’s just too hot outside for a piping hot pizza? Make a Southwest Fresh Pizza served chilled. It will quickly become a family favorite.
And for dessert? Treat your family to a delightful summer Strawberry Elderflower Lemon Trifle. Possibly the easiest dessert you’ll ever make and the tastiest!
Remember summer is a gift so enjoy it now while the sun shines high in the sky and the food is fresh and oh so flavorful.
Fried Okra with Comeback Sauce
This recipe was inspired by the Smashed Fried Okra recipe in the Recipe Revival cookbook.
I’ve found a secret to fabulous fried food – self-rising white cornmeal mix. (I like Hudson Cream brand.) This mix makes a light batter with lots of crunch and the cornmeal flavor that’s so popular in the south.
4 to 6 servings
- 1 pound fresh okra
- 1½ cups buttermilk
- 2 cups self-rising white cornmeal mix
- Peg’s salt* and freshly ground black pepper
- Canola oil
Use a meat mallet to smash the okra, starting at the tip of the pod and working toward the stem end. Place the buttermilk in a shallow dish, and place the cornmeal mix in another shallow dish. Stir desired amount of salt and pepper into the cornmeal mix.
Dip the okra into the buttermilk, then dip it into the cornmeal mix and turn it to coat both sides. Dip the floured okra into the buttermilk again and then dip it into the cornmeal mix. Do not shake off any excess.
Pour the oil to depth of 2 inches into a large Dutch oven. Heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry okra, in small batches (do not crowd), 2 to 3 minutes or until browned and crisp, turning once. Remove okra, using a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt while still warm. Serve immediately.
*Peg’s salt is made in Staunton, Virginia, sold at local Food Lion grocery stores.
Bec’s Comeback Sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sweet chili sauce (in the Asian section of the grocery store – do not buy the chili sauce with garlic)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine all ingredients. Cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.
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