Southern Deep-Fried Vegetables

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1.5 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice
• 3 large eggs
• vegetables, sliced into 1/4 thick slices or chunks (squash, zucchini, mushrooms, etc. softer is better since the frying will just heat it through)
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp cajun seasoning
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp table salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, vinegar or lemon juice, and 3 eggs until smooth. Let rest for 10 minutes

2. Whisk again and toss your vegetables in the liquid to coat, and let them sit in the mix for ~30 minutes more. (They won't be submerged so just toss to keep them soaking up moisture)

3. In a shallow dish, combine the cornmeal, flour, seasoning, baking powder, salt, and some cracked black pepper. Whisk to combine and smooth out any lumps

4. In a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, add a frying oil to a depth of at least 2 inches and heat to 365°F

5. In batches, dredge the vegetables in the cornmeal mix to coat and deep fry until golden brown. (2-3 minutes, will depend on your vegetables, batch size, etc)

6. Drain each completed batch on a paper towel lined plate and hit it with a healthy sprinkling of table salt while it's still hot