Pickle Chips

     Comfort food is the best kind of food. And fried food is the best kind of comfort food. Now I've heard that you can fry just about everything. My opinion in this matter kind of goes along with bikinis and stretch pants: Just because you can doesn't mean you should. But pickles... Pickles you should. Pickles you definitely should. I remember ordering plates of these from a restaurant near us called "The Pickle Barrel". My family along with my aunt and cousins would go there on a fairly regular basis. It was a must that we order a minimum of two plates of these crispy golden nuggets along with rather large bowls of ranch for dipping.
     I'm not sure if they still serve these there, as my eating out days have diminished since I've had to go gluten free. But you can be sure that a homemade replacement was definitely in order. The first time I fixed them for my husband, I think he was a little hesitant at first. He had never had them before (le gasp!). But this is now a year round favorite to fix up along with some fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

A little history...     

     This scrumptious little dish originates from the south somewhere around Arkansas. A man named Bernell Austin started fixing them at the Duchess Drive In which is in Atkins, Arkansas. The Duchess Drive In recipe is a family secret to this day, but before it was popularized by Mr. Austin, apparently it started out with sweet pickles and pancake mix. Not a bad place to start, but we've turned it up a notch for todays recipe.
     To me, the perfect fried pickle should be crunchy on the outside with a firm dill pickle on the inside. The batter should balance between a little sweet and a little salty. And ranch should be served as a dipping buddy. The cut of the pickle is really a matter of preference. Traditionally they are served as medallions or round slices. I've also fried them up as spears since that was what I had on hand. Either way, the end result should be the same: Crispy, crunchy, golden batter on the outside with a firm pickle on the inside.

Down to business...

      There are two major components to the recipe: the pickle its self and the batter. So let's start with the pickle. The high quality the pickle, the better the end result (duh!). So here at Farmer Awad's Urban Farm , we like to start out with our own homegrown and canned dill pickles. Look at your local farmer's market for some high quality pickles or make your own!
     The batter is slightly more involved. For the batter, we are going for a kind of runny, tempura kind of batter. Crunchy gluten free batter can be difficult to obtain, but not to fear my fried food loving friend. I've got a few secrets up my sleeve to help you out. The first secret to a crunchy gluten free batter is baking powder. The second is corn starch. Both of these help to achieve that light crispness that crackles on your tongue. For an airier texture to your fried pickle, use club soda, sparkling water or hard cider. For a more cake-y texture, use milk.
     In the unlikely event that you have leftovers, wrap them up in a paper towel and store in a container in the refrigerator. They'll be good here for about three to four days. When you are ready to eat them, unwrap onto a foil lined baking sheet and warm in the oven on 350 for 15-20 minutes or until throughly warmed.

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Fried Pickles

by The Awkward Goat September-28-2017

A comfort food that's great year round

Ingredients

• 1 C All Purpose gluten free flour
• 1T Tapioca starch
• 1/2 tsp. Xantham Gum*
• 1/4 C Corn Starch
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp peper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp sage
• 1 egg
• 2 C liquid (hard cider, club soda, or milk)
• 1 inch in pan of Corn oil
• 1 qt jar sliced Dill Pickles (Rounds or spears)

Instructions

Start heating up your corn oil on medium high. There should be at least 1 inch of oil in your frying pan.Mix all the dry ingredients and spices together.Beat your egg in a separate bowl and mix into dry mix. Start adding your liquid to the egg/flour mixture until you have a batter that is the consistency of thin pancake batter. Put pickle medallions or spears into batter and coat evenly.Place battered pickles into frying pan and fry until golden.Remove promptly onto a paper towel lined plate or cooling rack. Fry entire jar.Serve with a creamy dressing like ranch. Try to share. * Only use Xantham Gum if your All Purpose gluten free flour does not already contain it.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 45 mins Yield: 6