Monday, February 11, 2008

Fried Pickles X 4.

If fried pickles are offered on a restaurant menu, for the love of God, order them! They can't be messed up. At least I've never had a bad one. I haven't tried these particular recipes, but the first one is close to the recipe that I have used in the past. NOTE: while you are frying, open up a jar of sliced jalepenos and fry them too! They are divine, and the cooking removes most of the heat from the peppers.

Fried Dill Pickles

1 pint sliced dill pickles, undrained
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons ground red pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
Vegetable oil

Drain pickles, reserving 2/3-cup pickle juice. Press pickles between paper towels. Combine 2/3 cup pickle juice, egg, 1 tablespoon flour, and hot sauce. Stir well and set aside.
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour with ground red pepper, garlic powder, salt, and paprika. Blend well. Dip pickles in egg mixture, then dredge in flour mixture. Fry coated pickles in 375-degree oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.


Beer-Batter Fried Pickles from Southern Living magazine.

2 (16-oz.) jars dill pickle sandwich slices, drained
1 large egg
1 (12-oz.) can beer
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil
Spicy Ranch Dipping Sauce

1. Pat pickles dry with paper towels.
2. Whisk together egg and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl; add 1 1/2 cups flour, and whisk until smooth.
3. Pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches into a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven; heat over medium-high heat to 375°.
4. Dip pickle slices into batter, allowing excess batter to drip off. Fry pickles, in batches, 3 to 4 minutes or until golden. Drain and pat dry on paper towels; serve immediately with Spicy Ranch Dipping Sauce.


Spicy Ranch Dipping Sauce

3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced green onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
Garnish: seasoned salt

Whisk together first 6 ingredients. Garnish, if desired. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Makes about 1 cup.



Tempura Dill Pickles

1 (24-ounce) jar sliced kosher dill pickles
Vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup club soda, chilled

Drain pickles, reserving 2 tablespoons pickle juice. Press pickles between layers of paper towels. Set aside.
Pour oil to a depth of 3 inches into a Dutch oven; heat to 370°.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in club soda and reserved 2 tablespoons pickle juice, stirring just until combined. (Batter will be lumpy.)

Dip pickles into batter, letting excess drip off.

Fry pickles, in batches, 2 1/2 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on wire racks over paper towels, and serve immediately.



Fried Dill Pickle Spears
Alton Brown likes his fried pickles to be spears. I've never had fried spears, but I'm certain they are fantastic.

Peanut oil
1 quart whole dill pickles
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups plain cornmeal
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more, if desired

Place enough peanut oil in a 4 to 5-quart cast iron Dutch oven to come halfway up the side of the pot. Place over medium-high heat and bring to 390 to 400 degrees F.
Remove the pickles from their brine and cut lengthwise into quarters, like spears. Lay the spears on a sheet pan lined with paper towels and pat them dry.

Place the buttermilk in 1 shallow dish and mix together the cornmeal and salt in a separate dish. Dip each pickle, 1 at a time, first into the buttermilk, then into the cornmeal and then repeat. Carefully place each spear into the hot oil and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 minutes. You can fry 3 to 4 pickles in the pot at a time. Adjust the heat, if necessary, in order to maintain a constant temperature of 390 to 400 degrees F. Transfer the pickles to a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan and allow to cool for 5 minutes before eating. Season with additional salt, if desired.

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