Fried Green Tomatoes

Looking at my mother's vegetable garden and the large tomatoes that had yet to turn red, I became overwhelmingly inspired to recreate a southern dish...true to my heart--fried green tomatoes. Now, I have made these before and to be honest, I was not the least bit thrilled with the results. I figured, at the time, that perhaps I just didn't like this dish...just as I may not like other southern foods (fried okra? Mmm...yea, no thanks). But, funny enough, I had recently seen the movie, Fried Green Tomatoes, on TV and I'll be darned if that didn't make want to sink my teeth in some deliciously fried food....regardless if it was unripened tomatoes.

So, I decided that before I attempted to make this dish once again, I had to do some research on what exactly it is that I am supposed to do. Turns out there's tons of recipes out there and many of them were similar....dip in egg and dredge in a flour and corn meal mix. But, after incorporating several tips and suggestions from various reviewers, I decided on a specific recipe of my own......and the results have changed my life FOREVER. As I put the perfectly round disc of golden crispiness in my mouth, I felt like Remy in Ratatouille, tasting the perfect combination of foods for the first time and seeing fireworks dancing....I SAW FIREWORKS!!!!

To describe my experience for you....*sigh*...stirs so many emotions again. The first bite brought on this crunch that I had hoped and longed for but never expected. The seasonings were slight, but I knew they had played their role perfectly in enhancing the sweet and tart tomato inside. Oh, and this tomato....OH MY....firm and juicy and perfectly tart and sweet....it was such a sweet harmony in my mouth. When I realized that I was at fault, that I had improperly prepared such a dish before...I quickly apologized to the green tomato for ever doubting it's greatness. And as you are reading this now...let me tell you, I am eating my second batch of tomatoes...in the same weekend.

Ingredients:

2 large green tomatoes

1/2 C Flour

2 Egg Whites

1/2 C Corn Meal

1/2 C Bread Crumbs, unseasoned

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp salt

Directions:

Cut and discard the tops and ends of the tomatoes. Now, cut the tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. In a large skillet heat up about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil (no olive oil please). In a large dish or pan, mix corn meal, bread crumbs, garlic, cayenne and salt. Now, set up the assembly line of dips: Flour in one dish, egg whites (slightly beaten) in a second dish, and corn meal mixture in a third dish. Dredge the tomato slices in the flour, coat well and dust off excess. Next, run through the egg white mixture and follow by dredging in the corn meal mix. Fry the tomatoes on medium high heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until they reach a golden brown. Be careful not to overcrowd the fry pan and be sure that the tomatoes do not touch each other while frying. Once cooked and reached a golden brown, remove from oil and set on a wire rack to cool and crisp. (I personally believe that it is critical to have the tomatoes cool on a rack instead of just paper towels to ensure maximum crispness.)

Once the tomatoes have cooled (1-2 minutes)...ENJOY!!


Servings:

1 if you're greedy (me); 2 if you're nice

Wonton Soup

Ingredients:2 Quarts of Chicken Stock
3 Green Scallions, chopped, green tops and white bottoms separated
8 oz. ground pork
4 oz. uncooked shrimp, finely minced
1 tbsp garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
¼ C, cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp corn starch
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 pkg of wonton wrappers (square)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:
In a large stock pot, simmer chicken stock and all of the white scallion bottoms on low heat, season with salt, soy sauce and a little bit of sesame oil (this is your soup so seasonings are optional and according to taste). In a large mixing bowl, combine pork, shrimp, garlic, ginger, cilantro, corn starch, salt and pepper, sesame oil and HALF of the reserved green scallion tops. Mix meat well until it becomes tight and sticky. In another pot, bring about 2 quarts of water to a rolling boil to cook wontons.


To assemble wontons: Place about 1 tbsp of filling into the center of each wonton wrapper. Lightly wet 2 sides (edges) of the wrapper with the beaten egg. Fold in half to form a triangle. Make sure to seal around the filling so that water cannot enter. Continue to make wontons until all the filling is used. Boil wontons (in small batches) for about 3-4 minutes until it floats and filling is completely done. Serve with scallion broth and garnish with remaining green scallion tops.
Serves 4-6

Jamie Oliver's Flavour Shaker

It crushes, grinds, blends and more!!! I love Jamie Oliver and was totally floored when I saw this product by him. I saw him use it on one of his shows and immediately had to check it out. I haven't tried it yet but will get one soon. What do you think?

How it works:
The Flavour Shaker is designed to crush, mix, and release flavour from whole spices, herbs, garlic, nuts, citrus rind or even lime or bay leaves. In just a few seconds you can create and add flavour to all kinds of everday dishes.

Simply pop your ingredients inside, add the magic ball and give it a good shake. The ceremic ball does all the work crushing, grinding and bruising the contents, releasing amazing aromas and zingy flavours. You can also add liquids like oil and cream to create delicious dressing and marinades. The Flavour Shaker is sized to give you just the right amount of marinade or dressing (you don't need a lot) so that you can pour the contents straight over your food.

Just follow these four steps and you'll soon see how quick and easy it really is to get great tasting food...

• Step 1: Add your ingredients, then drop in the creamic ball.
• Step 2: Screw the halves together securely. (Make sure that the two little arrows on the grips are correctly aligned and that the sealing ring is in place. You risk damaging the product if you don't.)


• Step 3: Give it a good shake.


• Step 4: Open up and pour, scoop or rub on to your food.

Tran's Triple Turkey Burger

So I've never really been a big fan of turkey burgers. I think it was my assumption that turkey=lean meat=less fat=less tasty burger....I did say assumption, right? So how can I make a turkey burger more fatty and fully injected with flavor? How can I prove my own assumptions wrong? Enter, Tran's Triple Turkey Burger, made with dark meat turkey, white meat turkey and turkey bacon...oh yes...

Ingredients:
8oz. ground dark meat turkey
8oz. ground white turkey breast
4 slices of turkey bacon, roughly chopped
1 large shallot, minced
2 tbsp grill seasoning (McCormick's Grill Mates Montreal Steak seasoning)
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp EVOO
4 whole wheat sesame seed hamburger buns
1/2 C, mayo
1 tbsp hot sauce (Tabasco)
1/2 C, Dijonnaise (Dijon and Mayo mixed)
4 slices jarlsberg cheese
1 C, baby lettuce mix

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl combine the ground dark turkey, ground white turkey and turkey bacon. Add minced shallot, 1 tbsp of EVOO and 1 tsp of salt and mix until well combined--be careful not to over mix the meat. Divide the meat into 4 and form into hamburger patties (make sure to make patties slightly larger than the size of the buns). In a hot grill pan or skillet, add the remaining 2 tbsp of EVOO and wait until pan starts to slightly smoke. Evenly sprinkl grill seasoning on burgers and place on hot skillet. Immediately lower heat to medium heat and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Refrain from touching or squashing patties while cooking. After 4-5 minutes, flip burgers and cook for another 4-5 minutes. **Turkey bacon doesn't really change color so burger may still look pink when done...but it's just the bacon** Once burgers are done, place one slice of cheese on each pattie and turn off the heat. Let residual heat of the meat melt the cheese.

While burgers are grilling, toast buns in oven for about 5 minutes. While the bread is toasting, take a small mixing bowl and combine mayo with hot sauce. Spread the hot sauce mayo on the bottom slice of the bun, top with 1/4 of baby lettuce, top with cheeseburger, and finish by spreading Dijonnaise on top bun and place on top of burger.

Summer Risotto with Hot Italian Sausage

I didn't really know what to make for dinner tonight so I just decided to clean out the fridge/freezer/pantry and made the first thing that came to my mind. I had some various fresh mushrooms that I picked up at the market the other day (oyster and porcini varieties) and wanted to use them before they went bad. In the freezer I had some spring peas and a tray of hot italian sausages. In the pantry I had a little bit of aborio rice leftover that I really wanted to use up as well, but would 3/4 of aborio rice really be enough? Well, creative dinner here I go.


Ingredients:
2 tbsp, EVOO
2 tbsp, unsalted butter
2 shallots, roughly chopped
1 C, white wine (any drinking variety)
3/4 C, aborio rice
3/4 C, long grain rice (Uncle Ben's)
1 C, frozen peas
1 C, parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 wedges of Laughing Cow Light Herb Cheese
1 chicken bouillon cube

Directions:
In a large stock pot, bring 8 cups of water with bouillon cube to a simmer.

In a large cast iron pot, heat EVOO and butter. Add shallots and saute for 2 minutes. Add rice and mix until well coated with fat. Add white wine and let alcohol cook off and stirl until rice has absorbed all liquids. Add 2 medium ladles of the stock. Stir rice constantly to prevent from clumping/sticking and to release more starch from rice. When rice has absorbed all liquids, add 2 more ladles of the stock. Continue in this matter for about 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender. (If you happen to run out of stock, just add water).

In a saute pan, cook mushrooms.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp EVOO
1 shallot, rough chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb mixed mushrooms
1 tbsp, fresh thyme

Directions:
Heat butter and EVOO. Add shallots and garlic, saute for 1 minutes. Add mushrooms and thyme and saute for 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and remove from heat. Finish with truffle salt.

Cook Sausages.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 C tap water
1 lb hot italian sausages, in casing
1/2 C, white wine (any drinking variety)

In the same saute pan, add 2 tbsp of oil and 1/2 cup of water and cook sausages (in casing) on medium heat. Once liquid has dried up, remove pan from heat an add 1/2 cup of white wine. Return to heat and continue to cook until sausages are completed cooked and well seared.

Once rice is tender (about 15-20 mins), turn heat on low. Add peas and parmesan cheese and stir well. Crumble the 2 wedges of Laughing Cow cheese into the risotto and add the sauted mushrooms. Season with salt and finish with truffle salt and white truffle oil.

Passionate About Food

I'm normally not a blog type person...not that I'm against blogs, but sadly, I'm lazy, and keeping up with a blog just doesn't fit into my "lazy" mantra. But, one thing I'm definitely not lazy about is FOOD. Shopping for food, cooking food, plating food, eating food...I LOVE IT ALL!! =) So, what better way to document my passion for all thinks sweet, spicy, salty and sour (and sometimes bitter) than to start a blog? Ok, so I guess I'm going to have to get over my laziness, but I figure that if I keep the topics related to FOOD, then I should be equally passionate for it as well, right?

Right......So......

So why am I so passionate about food? What's not to love?? Food gives us so much! Food can evoke so many emotions: happiness, giddyness, sadness, nostalgia, pain, fear, euphora. Food is exciting and yet it can be calming. When I come home from a long day or if I've had a really rough day, nothing relaxes me more than to be in the kitchen, preparing a delicious meal--a meal that will bring me back to that happy place =) And when I take the time to cook a meal or test a new recipe, nothing makes me happier than to see the approving faces of my dear family, friends or guest. You see, food is so wonderful this way...it can be so rewarding and giving, so classy and humble.

Ahh....just talking about my love makes me so mellow and happy right now. Maybe this blog thing won't be as hard as I think. So for anyone who wants to listen to me rant and ramble about my love for food--whether it be about shopping for food, creating a new recipe or just anything that may cross my mind about food--please feel free to stop by and chime in. All positive and happy thoughts are welcome!

For now, just live, love, eat and be happy!!

Jennifer