Recently I was sent a copy of Off the Eaten Path: Favorite Southern Dives and 150 Recipes That Made Them Famous, a book by Morgan Murphy that was produced by Southern Living.  It’s a collection of recipes from down home restaurants all over the American South.  It was such a delight to read through this book, get a glimpse into Southern food culture far beyond what I’m familiar with.  In his introduction Murphy makes the astute observation that to really know a place, you have to eat the food.  I wholeheartedly agree with this, regional food both defines us and brings us together.

The first thing I did after reading the introduction was to flip through to the section from North Carolina, of course.  I was not disappointed.  In this section Murphy highlights everything from sorbet from Chapel Hill favorite Crook’s Corner to a pork chop sandwich from Andy Griffith’s hometown, Mount Airy.  One thing I couldn’t pass up was this recipe for Crispy Fried Pickles from Okie Dokies Smokehouse in Swannanoa (near Asheville).

Fried pickles have always been a favorite of mine, whether they’re dill spears or okra. Fried on the grill and served with a ranch and barbeque sauce dip, these pickle chips were the perfect compliment to a summer dinner out back.

Crispy Fried Pickles
Source: Adapted from Okie Dokie Smokehouse, recipe from Off the Eaten Path

4 cups dill pickle chips, drained

1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

1/2 ranch dressing

2 tbsp barbeque sauce

Canola Oil

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp chipotle

1 tsp salt

After draining the pickles soak them in buttermilk in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Stir together flour and spices.  Heat your oil to 375.  Dip each pickle chip in the flour mixture and fry until golden (3-4 minutes).

Mix together ranch and barbeque sauce.  Serve with pickles.