Fried Green Tomatoes

Red vs. Green

I am a big fan of the tomato.  I eat at least one a day.  Love them when they are a ripe deep, dark, red and I love them when they are green.   I enjoy them whether they are vine ripened, heirloom, or in many colors, shapes and sizes.   When I finally made a trip to the farmers market green tomatoes were on the list to find and purchase.  Growing up my family always planted a lot of tomatoes and fried green tomatoes and pickled green tomatoes made the menu at least a couple of times through the summer into the fall months.   I enjoyed them as a kid and as an adult I try to make them at least once throughout the summer.  

The trick to making fried green tomatoes is making sure you cut enough of the ends off. Otherwise it is difficult for the flour and bread crumbs to stay attached to the tomato.





Fried Green Tomatoes with Lemon/Cayenne Mayo

Ingredients
Oil for frying
4 green tomatoes cut into 1/4-inch rings
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup self rising flour
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 egg
½ cup buttermilk
3-4 tbsp. Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch Smoked Paprika

Instructions
1. In a deep-fryer, preheat oil to 350 degrees F.
2. Lay tomatoes on paper towel. Season tomatoes, on both sides, with salt and pepper.
3. Place flour and garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and paprika in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, beat eggs with the buttermilk and hot sauce. In another dish place the bread crumbs.
4. Dredge tomatoes through the flour, then the eggs, and then through the bread crumbs.
5. Add only a few pieces to the fryer at a time, so they can cook evenly, about 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Drain on paper towels and serve with:

Lemon Cayenne Mayo
½ cup mayonnaise
Juice of ½ a lemon
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. smoked paprika

Mix ingredients together and let set for at least 15 minutes to let the flavors meld.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.




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No Cooking Required

No Cooking Required (with a twist of ADD)

I love this time of year, heat and all.   As crazy as it sounds, I often bake when it is hot outside.  It’s already hot; who is going to notice the oven is on (insert chuckle here).   However, there are day’s I am too lazy to cook and that is when I turn to quick “No Cooking Required” recipes. 

 

Yesterday was a day of errands. One of those included visiting the local public market.   They call it a “Public Market”    due to the variety of vendors they have.  Not all of them are farmers.   I love fresh fruits and veggies and the variety that are displayed at the market.   I also like the fact that there is always something there you can’t get in a supermarket.    And the fact that just purchasing your produce in the open air makes them taste better.  Fresh air makes everything taste better (you should try a weenie roast in the dead of winter, nothing tastes better than that Hot Dog cooked over an open flame in the dead of winter).

What did I purchase you ask?   Well, I was hoping to find green tomatoes at the market.  Yup they had them.  But then I spied an Eight Ball Zucchini, surprisingly not many people at the market knew what they were.  They are a grapefruit sized round Zucchini.  Great for stuffing, but that is a recipe for another time.   I also purchased a ¼ bushel of pickling cucumbers, 2 small purple eggplants, Italian Pole Beans, Jalapeno Peppers, Peaches, Nectarines, and Heirloom Tomatoes.    I think that was everything at the market.  

Off to have breakfast with a couple of my girlfriends.  You have to get to the market early and why not arrive when it just opens.   My girlfriends are lucky I didn’t eat anything at the market. Need to go potty and have a second cup of tea.  Breakfast was a trip as usual.  We have polite conversations mixed with a little bit of ball busting, one upping and throwing each other under the bus.  How we love each other.  We part and go our separate ways.

Now, to get back on track and finish my errands.    The next few stops are irrelevant, stopping here and there to get essentials like toothpaste and toilet paper, shop for shoes for the wedding and fill up the car with gas.   

My last stop: I have Heirloom tomatoes from the market, it is off to a place called Roma’s.   Roma’s is a little Italian deli, where they sell imported pasta, cheeses, and meats.   They also carry homemade Italian bread and pizza pie to die for.  I consider it to be the best in the area.   They have a large mixed olive case with a variety of black and green flavored olives.  Did I mention the Imported Italian Cheeses:  Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, Mozzarella, Basket Cheese, Braided Cheese, Smoked, Wedges and Grated and my favorite of all time Soft Fresh Mozzarella Balls.  Fight the urge to purchase tomato pie.    Don’t inhale at the register, you will then smell all the deliciousness and weaken. Pay the man and hold your breath till you get out the door (just teasing, I love the deli smell). Okay leaving Roma’s with a loaf of fresh Crusty Italian Bread, a small container that holds a variety of the many olives from the olive case, a bag of freshly grated parmesan cheese and my mozzarella balls.  

I arrive home about 1:30ish.   Unload the car and carry everything in the house.   Drop everything and take the dog outside to do her necessaries.  Let the dog romp and play for a few minutes as she has been inside all morning.    Back inside, cappuccino from the Keurig while unpacking all of my wonderful goodies.    Such a sense of accomplishment overcomes ones-self, as I stare at the variety of health and wellness displayed on my counter.   Lunch! Its lunch time! With all the errands I had run in the morning lunch needed to be quick and painless and of course consist of several items I had purchased well running all those errands.   Let’s make a fresh Cucumber Caprese Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella drizzled with imported extra virgin olive oil and reduced balsamic vinegar (both previously purchased at Roma’s), topped with a slice of fresh home baked crusty Italian bread.    Ahhhhhh! Or should I say MMMMMM!

I shall be posting more recipes from my finds at the Public Market.   



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Salsa the night away

It's hard to find someone who doesn't like salsa. It is such a versatile recipe and can be used from appetizer to dessert depending on which ingredients you put into it. It is a great conversation starter and party take along.  

We rarely purchase salsa a store anymore. In fact the kids love to chop and make their own versions of salsa. One likes it less hot while the other child likes to see how hot we can stand it. 

I am sharing my recipe for Pineapple salsa, but to tell you the truth I use the same recipe for tomato salsa and corn salsa by swapping out the main ingredient.

 

 

Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients:
1 can pineapple chunks or one whole fresh pineapple (diced)
1 small red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
1 Red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper , diced
2 tablespoons coriander leaves , chopped
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
Salt, to taste
drizzle of olive oil

Chop all ingredients to desired size. Place in serving bowl. Stir to combine. Let set for 15 minutes before serving.

Swaps: You can swap out the pineapple for, fresh diced tomatoes, peaches, mangos, or strawberries. You can also swap out the red onion for a shallot.

Additions: You can also add a can of drained and rinsed black beans or fresh corn cut off the cob or defrosted sweet corn.

Flavor enhancers: Try roasting the ingredients before chopping and mixing

Serve with chips or as a topping over baked fish, shrimp, scallops or chicken.

For dessert salsa, try using strawberries and cinnamon and sugar chips.



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