Recipe of the Week: Real Southern Fried Okra

Fried okra is hard to get right. Too much batter and you can't even taste the okra. Cook the okra too fast and the seeds inside are hard. I've heard people not from the South say they view okra as merely something else to dip into ranch dressing - this opinion of this Southern favorite couldn't be more skewed. It's an opinion developed by eating the poorly done fried okra, and that's unfortunate.

Here's what you'll need...

• 1 pound of okra, chopped up

• 1/2 cup of water

• Tablespoon of butter

• Tablespoon of oil (Vegetable, Canola, Peanut)

• 3/4 cut of flour

• 1/8 teaspoon of salt

• 1/8 teaspoon of pepper

Put the butter and oil in a pan and put on medium-low heat.

As that's heating up put the cut up okra in a bowl. drizzle the water over it  and toss around. Slowly sprinkle the flour, salt and pepper over and toss it around as you go. After it's pretty evenly coated with flour slowly spoon the okra into the pan of oil. Cover for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, and cook til golden brown.

This is a simple recipe from rural West Georgia. No frills, no spices. This is the way my granny made fried okra, and this style is still the best I've ever had.