Food in the U.S. has gone through interesting transitions since I was a child. I can clearly remember the days of complicated gelatin-fruit- “mystery ingredient” molds at my hometown church fellowship dinners. Common elements within these treasures were marshmallows, canned pineapple and the occasional, rare and elusive maraschino cherry. One per can of fruit cocktail, right?
We then entered the convenience phase (70s), the chemical additives phase (80s), moved into the pretentious and everything-imported phase (90s) and now here we are today. In middle America with choices to make, doing our best to prepare and eat our food in the tastiest, healthiest and most competent way we know how.
I thought I would jot you a note and let you know how we make two common items in our home with only two simple ingredients. Just to be clear, I’m not counting sea salt, ground pepper and olive oil in the “two.” Tonight I’ll show you how we make our tried and true: summer roasted chicken and pan fried okra.
Summer Roasted Chicken
1 organically raised chicken
Approximately 3 cuts of fresh rosemary (3 pieces, about 3 inches long)
1 med white onion
Here we go: Not tried organic meats and poultry? Consider doing your family a favor and purchase roasting hens raised without antibiotics or hormones if possible. And range-fed? Even better. If you’re not satisfied with your grocer’s selection, you might want to shop your local farms, butchers and meat markets. It’s a nice adventure to find a local source, and developing a relationship with your local producers is always a good thing.
1) Brush your baking dish with olive oil. Trim any extra skin or fat (I trim the tail) off the bird. Brush the entire bird with olive oil. Sometimes little pockets get trapped in the folds of the skin, so go over it twice with your pastry brush evenly distributing your oil for balanced baking.
2) Next, make your modified “bouquet garni” with your only two ingredients: rosemary and onion. Wash and dry the rosemary. Cover the outside with a moderate sprinkling of destemmed leaves. Stuff the remaining rosemary into the neck and back cavities.
3) Clean the onion, and cut into 6 or so pieces. Stuff them into the neck and back cavities. If there are leftovers, simply lay them against the hen in the roasting pan.
4) Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 until the hen reaches AT LEAST 165 degrees. I usually let mine go until the skin is a beautiful mix of golden and darker brown areas. Click here for good roasting time estimates.
Beautiful to look at, smell and definitely eat. Why these two ingredients for the summer? Butter and garlic have waxy and fatty molecules that “weigh down” the meat, and are better for cooler temperatures. Onions and rosemary have more open and acidic molecules which are perfect for delivering a “cool” aroma when you taste your masterpiece. The bouquet of evergreens goes right up your nose, barely, as an afterthought this way. Perfect.
Now – you have two options. You can serve the stock and onions with the meal, or you can remove them both and utilize them in different ways. I use the second choice because the hen is so juicy, there really is no need for stock.
Plate the hen, remove a couple of your onion chunks and put the pan in the refrigerator. Once the fat is solid, remove it and put up the stock for a later use. Good chicken stock is like gold!
Take the roasted onion, put it in a blender with a regular container of sour cream or 8oz of Greek yogurt. Blend. Add about 1/2 c. of diced cucumber or about 1 T. diced fresh dill. Tap the blender button until the green ingredients are just blended. Use to dollop on the side of your meat or as a dip with fresh vegetables. This cool complement helps continue to define your meal as “summer.”
Now, what to do thirty minutes before your bird is done? Hmmm – how about pan fried okra!
Pan Fried Okra
Enough okra to feed those you are serving. See below.
White or yellow cornmeal, milk (any type, including buttermilk)
I usually count about six to eight stalks of okra per person. Our family likes pan fried okra (a lot!) so you might have to play with the amount. Try to get the freshest medium size stalks you can find. Smaller ones require more effort to prep and larger stalks are inedible. The only use we’ve found for the larger ones to date is composting them or drying them and using them for firewood! I think my neighbor dries them and paints them for a children’s craft.
1) Wash and dry your okra, then cut into bitesized pieces disposing of the stem caps. Place them in a mixing bowl. Pour in about 1-2 T of milk for each person you are serving. The milk should just barely cover the bottom of the bowl. Toss to coat. It usually takes me about four tosses.
2) Next, alternate between taking a handful of cornmeal and sprinkling it over the okra, and tossing to coat it. A bowl for four people usually takes me 3 or 4 tries. If you’ve ever made “puppy chow” snacks for children, then you know at some point the “dry” will coat and soak up the “wet.”
3) Add salt and pepper, toss and fry in prepared pan. You will need about 1-2 T. of olive oil in the pan for each person you are serving. Make sure the pan is on med-med-high, and that the oil is heated before you add the okra. Immediately separate any stuck pieces in the pan as the oil “sets” the coating fairly quickly.
4) I know this is silly, but the first “turn” on the okra I actually do by hand. I want to make sure every piece gets set and is cooking evenly…so I take a fork and hand flip them over. You don’t have to do this; just toss the pan saute’ style to continue to flip and cook the okra until done.
You’ll know your work is done when you begin to see a fairly even browning across the coating and little dark brown “crumbs” are apparent in the bottom of your pan. Vegan recipe? Use vegetable broth and cornmeal – OR, my mother and grandmother simply coat the okra with flour, then with cornmeal; they don’t use liquid. This method makes the okra shrink more when cooked, but is simple and delicious!
I suggest pairing this lovely meal up with something cold and crunchy, and a cold summer beverage such as pomegranate iced tea or sparkling water with orange slices.
Here’s a snack plate I prepared with homegrown fried okra, tomatoes and cucumbers – all from my garden. Summer is a lovely thing and the food that comes with it, perhaps even better. Happy mealtime!

















{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I notice both of these recipes are also gluten free! Sharing this!
Joey – thanks helping me remember to think “gluten free” as a dietetic category as well. I noticed MANY products in Europe are gluten free, but it’s still not in my categorical thinking yet. I’ll tag this recipe that way as well. See ya! RDK
My first fried okra this season was from your garden, due to your gracious gift of allowing me to glean while you were in England! I only brought home 10 pods, but I treated them with the upmost respect– exactly like you have written in your blog! thanks again, K!
Debbie – I never had any doubt that those veggies would be “honored!” Honor the veggies! A new gardener mantra…Take care, RDK