Recipe: Fried Green Tomatoes

The Summer Treat That'll Make You Shout "Towanda!"

(and don't worry, in this case the secret's NOT in the sauce...)

After spending the occational on and off afternoon over the past two years watching the Neelys get uncomfortably familiar with one another on Food Network I decided it was time to try one of the few of their recipes that I've been collecting with the intent to try them at some point (believe it or not, once you get past the urge to tell them to get a room they actually have, what appears to be, some really good stuff to share). Well, it being that time of year here in Florida the answer was clear: Fried Green Tomatoes (after all these years the knee jerk response is to continue that phrase with "served hot".) 

One Summer my parents were up visiting me and Chad at our house in North Georgia. Looking for something to do we decided that we'd all go to the Apple Festival in Elijay, GA (near Blue Ridge). I'd heard a lot of hype about the fried apple pies and it was a good day for it so away we went. In a nutshell this is what we came away with: 

Panorama Farms, Elijay, GA
You want apples? They've got apples (and so much more!)
Everything from multiple apple varieties, apple butter, a
truly fantastic apple barbeque sauce and so much more... 

1. The Apple Festival is hot, crowded and surprisingly light on apples. (Chad and I later learned that if you want good stuff, apple wise, in North Georgia you want to hit Panorama Farms, also in Elijay. The have orchard tours and all kinds of apple products PLUS a fantastic candy counter with some of the best fudge you'll ever eat. I digress...) 

2. I was introduced to the Great Pyrenees dog breed and have since developed a huge love of them (there was a man there with two of those fantastic gentle giants and I got to spend lots of time with them while waiting for the school bus that would take us back to our car.) And  Finally...

3. The best fried green tomatoes in the world are currently being made by a little old couple living in the north Georgia mountains. It was the first time that Chad had ever had them and he became obsessed with their tart salty goodness.

I won't waste time rewriting a recipe that has been written perfectly well by those that have the right to claim it as their own so, instead, I'll just include the link to the recipe, show you a picture of my finished product and add a few notes and hints as help. I will, of course, put the link last so you have to read my whole blog entry. ;-) 

Here are the issues that came up for me:

• Make sure that you don't buy your tomatoes until the day you're going to make them. There's a reason you can only buy them during season. I bought 4 green tomatoes yesterday and wound up with 2 green tomatoes, one orange and green striped tomato and one tomato that will now be used on a sandwich because it was too red to ever be called a fried green tomato. If you don't want them to continue ripening on you I repeat: buy at the last possible second.
• The panko bread crumbs are great and add great crunch but watch them carefully so that they don't over brown.
• Make sure that you salt them enough. You've already opted to batter and fry a vegetable, now's not the time to be health conscious. I didn't salt mine enough and ended up needing to salt them again after. (On the other side of that, however, you don't have to worry about them being too salty if you opt to do it that way.)
• My stuff is in boxes and I refuse to re-buy things that I already have (or in this case, that I already have two of) and Chad's mom isn't crazy about spending too much time in the kitchen so I didn't have a thermometer to watch the temperature of the oil (fyi, I opted for peanut oil). I found a fantastic site with 3 options of how to know if your oil is hot enough. The bread test worked perfectly (apparently a kernel of popcorn from a microwave popcorn bag doesn't pop like a normal kernel would. Eh, live and learn!).  

I think those were the key points. I didn't make the dipping sauce that they have with the recipe but it might be worth a try too. I went simple, myself, and opted for buttermilk ranch dressing or nothing at all. All and all these fried green tomatoes would make a great addition to your 4th of July picnic or cook out. Here's your link to the recipe since you were such complete and attentive blog readers. Happy eating! :D

Recipe: Quesadilla Wrap

This is really too easy to call a recipe but for a lack of a better word let's call it that. This is something that's sort of a cross between a flatbread wrap and a quesadilla (a wrapadilla? I like it. I think it'll become a thing.) The number one thing is what you use for the outside. I love Fold-its by Flat Out. They're only 100 calories, soft and super flavorful, especially the rosemary and olive oil version. 

To start, salt and pepper two 4 oz pieces or one 8 oz piece of beef tenderloin or filet mignon. I also like to use garlic and onion powder and a bit of rosemary. Pop the steaks into the broiler about 4 inches under the element for about 4-6 minutes a side depending on the thinkness of the steak and the level of doneness. Mine were about an inch think and I prefer them medium so I did 5 minutes on one side, 6 on the other.

While the steak is cooking slice up two large mushrooms and then julienne the slices to about a quarter inch wide and dice about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of onions (depending on how much you like onion). Dice 2 cloves of garlic (1/2 tablespoon) then put 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil into a saute pan. Once the oil is heated add the mushrooms, onions and garlic and saute them until your preferred level of firmness. I like my mushrooms to be soft but not mushy. I usually stop at the point that they've started turning dark. See the picture here.

Once the steaks are done pull them out and let them rest for two to three minutes. Next, slice the steaks into 1/4 inch thick strips. I don't like having chunks come out while I'm eatting so I also slice them lenght-wise so they're no longer than and inch long. The steak should be able to priovide meat for 3 wraps. Spread the steak on one side of each of the Flat-outs. Next spread the mushroom mixture over top of the steak and then sprinkle cheese on top. Place the 3 open faced wraps on a baking sheet and then put it back under the broiler just long enough to melt the cheese. Fold the wrap and you're all set!

For garnish I like salsa and lettuce and instead of using sour cream I opt for the healthier option of low fat plain yogurt. It has the same bite but with more health benefits.

Grocery List

• 8 oz Beef Tenderloin or Filet Mignon
• Salt • Pepper • Mushrooms • Onion • Garlic
• Flat Bread • Cheese • Chosen Garnishes 

Enjoy!

Recipe: Black Beans and Rice

Ok, here we go mi amigos y amigas, I'm going to go counter to my typical cooking style by actually paying attention to what I'm doing quantity-wise while I cook so I can attempt to actually write down a semi-concise recipe. Normally I wing it as I go unless I'm using someone else's recipe so this is a stretch for my attention span, especially when I have to remember to take pictures as I go. I think I've done ok but forgive me if it's not quite as perfectly written as something else you may find online or in a book.

Havana, a Cuban walk-up restaurant near my old high school
in West Palm Beach, FL. Here's a review.

I was born in central Florida and raised in South Florida. My dad always had an inquisitive palate and he tried to instill that in me and my siblings as well. South Florida is full of Latin food. My dad worked in Boca Raton and if we ever went to his office with him he would always take us to this little Cuban diner there. It was years ago and between that and the influence of everything from chain restaurants like Pollo Tropical to my first roommate (she was Puerto Rican) I couldn't tell you what I would eat when we'd go to that diner but I can tell you that between that place and the subsequent aforementioned influences I developed an appreciation for those Caribbean/Latin influences that will endure long after I move away (should I ever be lured away from Florida again now that I'm back.)

A standard side dish in most Cuban diners is black beans and rice. Not actually being Cuban (or Latin of any sort) myself, I won't presume to claim any legitimate ethnic credibility in the following recipe but I think it's pretty good. If you give it a try I think you'll like it, too.

Black Beans and Rice

The night before you plan on making Black Bean and Rice, soak 1 cup of dry black beans in 4-6 cups of water. (Don't forget to pick out the shriveled beans and any stones you may find.) I let mine soak for around 18 hours this time. Why? No reason. I know they need to soak for at least 8 hours. I started them before bed last night and didn't get around to draining them until I was ready to start prepping today at 3:30 but if you don't soak dry beans they will never cook. Well, they might but it'll be your great-grandkids eating them, not you.

Ok, so your beans have soaked all night (or all day long if you got up early enough.) Pour the beans into a strainer so you can get rid of the water. There are conflicting schools of thought on this one and I know that some recipes actually use the soaking water. There's one key thing that I consider the no-brainer as to why you should throw the soak water out: it decreases bean-based gassiness. This isn't an issue for me but you never know about your guests.

Put your beans into a medium sized pot with 3 cups of water and either 1 large or 2 small bay leaves. Cover and bring to a boil then turn down the beans and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Check ever so often to make sure that the beans aren't sticking and that the water isn't gone completely. By the time they're done they will be a little thicker than baked beans.

While the beans are cooking, dice a medium onion (around 3/4 - 1 cup). Don't take it down to a mince though or they'll cook away. Dice 1 cup of bell pepper to the same size as your diced onion then chop 1 and 1/2 cups of tomatoes (about 1 medium tomato) into a little larger pieces than your onions and bell peppers. Mince 1/2 - 1 tablespoon of garlic (depending on how much you like garlic).

Now that you've finished all your cutting (and while you're waiting for the beans to finish cooking) go ahead and follow the instructions for your favorite brand of Basmati rice and make 4 servings of rice (about 3 cups of cooked rice). Set aside once it's cooked. (Remember that you can either soak the Basmati before or rinse the rice after. Go by the instructions on your favorite brand.)

Ok, so you have cooked beans, finished and fluffy Basmati rice and a bunch of chopped up veggies. Time to get this cooking. In a decent sized saute pan heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Make sure it's hot enough, you want to saute the veggies, not sweat them. Once heated saute your garlic, onions and bell peppers until tender but not mushy (about the consistency of what you would want if you were making peppers and onions for a cheese steak or fajitas).

Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes until the liquid created by the veggies starts to thicken. (A little bit of trivia: tomatoes are one of the few vegetables that are actually better for you when you cook them versus eating them raw because the heat does something to aid the lycopine and lycopine is super good for you.)

Add your cooked beans and mix gently. The way I mix them is somewhere between stirring and folding so I don't cause all the skins on the beans to start coming off.

Simmer away but make sure that you don't let the liquid
dry up completely, it shouldn't be soupy either, though.
The final result should be moist, not mushy, filling
but not heavy.

Once the beans and veggies have been stirred together add about 1/2 tablespoon lime juice and 1/2 tablespoon either red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the cooked rice and stir until well blended. My picture has the beans on top of the rice but it's better to make sure that it's well mixed. In the end, though, it's a matter of taste. One way or the other it's a MUST to top the beans and rice with freshly chopped cilantro. For me the more the better. The bright freshness of the cilantro balances the rich moodiness of the beans. I also like to top my black beans with fresh raw onions while some people like to put an extra splash of vinegar on them.

This makes about 8 side dishes or 4 main dishes. ¡Buen Apetito!

Grocery List

Dry Black Beans
Bay Leaf
Basmati Rice
1 Medium Onion
1 Medium Bell Pepper
1 Medium Tomato
Garlic
Lime/Lime Juice
Red Wine Vinegar
or Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Fresh Cilantro