They Just Don't Get It...

...it's a Southern thing. 

Fried Green Tomatoes!

I've had the hardest time finding green tomatoes here in NH. There are none to be found at grocery stores or farmers markets. Thankfully Nathan has an older man that works a few hours at the shop with him. He also has a garden and has brought in cucumbers, tomatoes and squash. Last week Nathan asked if he could bring us some green tomatoes. Apparently it took some convincing to get him to agree to pick not yet ripe tomatoes. Making a pregnant woman very, very happy won him over.

I've made fried green tomatoes several different ways this time I had Panko bread crumbs on hand so I made them the way we used to at the restaurant I worked at in Charlotte. 

1. Slice tomatoes and toss in flour flavored with salt and pepper.

2. Dip in an egg wash

3. Dredge in Panko bread crumbs seasoned with herbs de provence.

4. Pan fry in a couple inches of oil in a cast-iron skillet. Fry on one side until golden and flip.

I made a remoulade sauce to go on top and salad to go alongside.

Herbed Ricotta Tart

So just like everyone else I get stuck in ruts with my cooking. I get tired of cooking with the same ingredients that fit into our food budget and trying to come up with creative ways of cooking them. Eggs are a huge staple in our house because they're inexpensive and have a lot of protein.Quiche is usually a once a week meal around here but last week I wanted to do something a little different. I came across this recipe online and modified it a little.

Instead of using refrigerated pizza crust I made my own tart dough and used my tart pan. You can find a simple tart/pie crust recipe anywhere but mine is 1 cup flour, 1/3 cup butter, 1 tsp. salt. and enough milk to hold it together. Here is the recipe from cooking light. We love dill so it was automatically a new favorite. I made extra mini tarts to warm up for this weeks breakfast. 


1 (11-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
Cooking spray
2 cups thinly sliced green onions
1 1/3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh chives
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Unroll dough, and press into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch round removable-bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray.
3. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add thinly sliced green onions to pan; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine cooked green onions, ricotta cheese, sliced fresh chives, minced fresh dill, salt, freshly ground black pepper, eggs, and egg white. Pour onion mixture into prepared crust; sprinkle mixture with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until center is set. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 6 wedges.

Joanne Weir, Cooking Light

JUNE 2010

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

One of my favorite soups is Roasted Red Pepper. I rarely make this at home because the cost of red peppers is usually not very cheap and using all of my peppers for soup is a big sacrifice. Last week the grocery store had a whole bag for less than $3.50 so I finally made soup.

First start out with about 5-7 peppers. Cut the peppers lengthwise into sections, remove seeds, and lay skin side up on a foil lined pan.
Next peel a yellow onion and cut crosswise into 4 equal sections. Lay the onion on the tray with the peppers and brush with olive oil.


Roast under the broiler in the oven for 6-8 minutes until the peppers are charred and the onions start to turn black on the edges.

Once they come out of the oven fold up the sides of the foil to form a little pocket. Let everything rest for about 10 minutes.


Peel off the skin of the peppers using a paring knife and discard.


In a pot, stir together about 2-3 cups of chicken stock, peppers and onions, 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 tbsp. tomato paste, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Bring everything to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until slightly thickened.

Puree the soup in the blender.



Add about 3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream and heat through.

Garnish with fresh basil and serve. I made homemade rye rolls to go along with our soup. Perfect for a chilly winter night!

Black Bean Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw

The wonderful thing about this dish besides it being delicious is that it cost lest than $5! I came across the recipe on Smitten Kitchen. It's really easy, really cheap and really yummy.

Serves 2 - 4

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
1 teaspoon ground cumin
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons (or more) fresh lime juice
2 cups coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 white or yellow corn tortillas
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Hot sauce

Place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Fill tacos with feta and slaw.

Black-Eyed Pea Patties with Heirloom Tomato & Garlic Salsa

We do a good bit of meatless dinners around here and so far they've all been great. Last week I made these black-eyed pea patties and used our heirloom tomatoes in the salsa. If you get a chance make sure you plant a Sungold tomato plant next year in your garden. You won't be disappointed.



3 garlic cloves, minced
2 serrano chiles, seeded and finely chopped (I used jalapeno's we had from the garden)
2 (16-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and well drained
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
6 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 cups chopped tomato
2 tsp. fresh lime juice

1. Combine minced garlic and chiles in a large bowl. Place 1 teaspoon garlic mixture into a small bowl; set aside. Add peas to remaining garlic mixture in the large bowl; mash mixture with potato masher. Stir in bell pepper, 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cumin and egg, stirring until well blended. Divide into 12 equal portions (I made ours bigger so I think I only got 6). Shape into a 1/2 inch patty.
2. Heat 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil in a large non stick skillet (I used cast iron skillet) over medium high heat. Add patties and cook for 4 minutes on either side or until browned.
3. Add remaining cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, chopped tomato, and lime juice to reserved garlic mixture in the small bowl; stir well. Serve with patties.

I also made tortilla chips with corn tortilla's. Spray or baste both sides with a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Quarter and bake on a cookie sheet at 350 until golden and crispy.

Walnut Burgers

These turned out really well and tasted amazing! The only thing I did different was that I cooked them in the oven on a parchment lined sheet pan.

• a 19-ounce can chick-peas
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 sesame buns
• 4 slices beefsteak tomato
• 4 slices red onion

In a colander rinse and drain chick-peas. In a food processor pulse garlic, onion, and rosemary until chopped coarse. Add chick-peas, parsley, and bread crumbs and pulse until just combined. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in walnuts, egg, and salt and pepper to taste until well combined. Form mixture into four 3-inch patties. Chill patties, covered, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

In a large skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook patties until golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Toast sesame buns. Transfer burgers to buns and top with tomato and onion.

Falafel

So I took pictures of the falafel I made last week but I can't locate my camera at the moment. This picture looks pretty close though.


Here is the recipe for falafel I made. It's a really easy recipe and a great substitute for a meat dish. I made my own pita (which is one of the easiest breads to make) but you can, of course, buy it at the grocery store.

Falafel

1 can of chickpeas
1/2 large onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
dash of Tabasco sauce
4 garlic cloves
1-1/4 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon baking powder
4-6 tablespoons flour
Vegetable oil for frying
Garnish With: Chopped tomato, sliced onion, sliced green bell pepper, and Tahini Sauce

1. Drain and rinse chickpeas
2. Place the chickpeas and onions in a foodprocessor
3. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, Tabasco sauce, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed.
4. Sprinkle with the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of flour, and pulse
5. You want to add enough flour to enable the dough to form a small ball and does not stick to your hands.
6. Form the chickpeas into balls the size of walnuts
7. Heat 3-4 inches of oil to 375 degrees in a deep pot or wok and fry 1 ball to test.
8. If it falls apart add a little more flour
9. Fry until golden brown. Approximately 4-5 minutes.
14. Drain on paper towels.

Dinner For One?

Whole wheat penne pasta, sauted red peppers, onion, artichoke hearts, pesto, and I topped it with crumbled feta cheese. It was yummy!!