Homegrown Journal

The pickles are fried in tempura batter because it’s so light and crispy, and frankly I just enjoy it. If you do not keep the batter cold, the pickles will become saturated with oil while frying and won’t be crispy. In this recipe, this is done by refrigerating the club soda and placing the batter in an ice bath directly after mixing. These are important steps and should not be skipped or forgotten.

recipes + photograph DEAN HENRY

Fried Pickles

1 C All purpose flour
1 C Cornstarch
1 ⅓ C Club soda, refrigerated
24 oz jar of Pickle chips
A neutral oil (I used sunflower)

Heat the oil until a wooden utensil bubbles when placed in the oil. Drain the pickles on paper towels and place to the side.

In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Add the chilled club soda, mix till smooth and place the batter’s bowl in an ice bath to keep cold.

Dump all the pickles into the batter. One at a time, place pickles into the hot oil. Remove pickles when just starting to brown. (Tempura doesn’t need to brown as much as traditional frying methods.)

Place onto a wire rack with paper towels under it to drain any excess oil. Serve hot with ranch dip.

Homemade Ranch Dipping Sauce

¾ C Mayonnaise
¼ C Buttermilk
2 tsp. Fresh dill
½ tsp. Dried parsley
½ tsp. Garlic powder
¼ tsp. Red pepper flakes
2 tsp. Red wine vinegar
Black pepper to taste

Whisk together all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until time to serve.

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Dean Henry is a student at Ozarks Technical Community College. He plans to become a teacher.