Take advantage of okra’s slime to make pillowy Summer Vegetable Scallion Pancakes

If the South had a mascot, it would be okra. You love, hate or have an unfounded fear of okra — and the same is true of the South.

There’s no vegetable more polarizing than this poor little pod. And it’s only one part of okra that tends to bother people: the slimy seeds.

Now I seek okra out. I want to cook with it. I want to change people’s minds about it. I’m not going to print myself an “I Love Okra” T-shirt or name my next child after it, but I understand and respect it just as much as I do every other vegetable.

These fritters from my cookbook “Deep Run Roots” capitalize on okra’s slime like nothing else. They’re sort of a cross between a scallion pancake and fried okra, and their pillowy texture and vegetal flavor, coupled with the sweet pop of corn, is pleasing and addictive.

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