Buttermilk Spicy Fried Armenian Cucumbers

Whistle Stop Cafe, you’d better watch your back!  These ‘Buttermilk Spicy Fried Armenian Cucumbers’ are going to put ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’ on the back burner!  Crunchy, juicy, spicy, crisp and on a stick, you can eat them hot or cold.  dip them in your favorite sauce, whatever makes your heart sing, and you’ll be munching on these cuties all day!  Sharing this with ‘Weekend Potluck 28  and ‘Foodie Friends Friday”!

 

 

Makes:  8 skewers (with 3-4 cucumber rounds on each)

What you need:

(8) Approximately 6” long wooden skewers

24-32 round ½ inch thick cucumber rounds  (Note:  Use a tender skinned cucumber if you can’t find Armenian cukes—English cukes, etc.  Avoid the large diameter, thick waxy-skinned cucumbers.  Farmers market cukes work best!)

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup flour

¾ cup white cornmeal

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp fresh ground pepper

½ tsp red chili flakes

½ cup olive oil

4 tbl butter

What you do:

Note:  You will skewer the cucumbers then have two pie plates—one with buttermilk in it and one with flour mixture in it.

Skewer 3-4 cucumber rounds on each skewer.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sal, pepper and chili flakes in one pie plate.

Pour the buttermilk in another pie plate.

Over medium heat in a frying skillet, combine olive oil and butter and heat.

Dip skewered cukes in the buttermilk rolling and coating well.  Roll in flour mixture.  Return to buttermilk mixture.  Re-coat in flour mixture.  Do this for each of the cucumber skewers.

When oil/butter is hot, fry two to three skewers at a time.  Do not crowd.  Let fry on each side until golden brown—about 90 seconds on each side.  Flip and fry on the other side.  (Note:  The oil will get cloudy and dark, but not to worry, it’s fine.)  Using tongs, remove fried cucumbers and drain on a brown grocery paper bag or paper towels.

Serve immediately with your favorite sauce or dip.  These are even good at room temperature!

 

 

©2012 Alice D’Antoni Phillips   Ally’s Kitchen