It's been a long week: Fried Green Tomatoes with Warm Indian Spices

Between the kitchen remodel project and my still being sick, there hasn't been much cooking going on. Hopefully things will be looking up soon because I'm getting sick and tired of feeling sick and tired! For some reason, feeling sick might stop me from cooking but it doesn't stop me from thinking about cooking. If I could cook right now, I'd fix my favorite Fried Green Tomatoes with Warm Indian Spices and served with Mango Chutney. Yum! I originally found this recipe over at SpiceLines awhile back and make it over and over and over again whenever I have green tomatoes.The garam masala brings a little warm heat to the tart tomatoes and the sweet-tart flavor of the mango chutney is the perfect complement.

These Fried Green Tomatoes with Warm Indian Spices will be my contribution to the Saturday Blog Showcase co-hosted by All That Splatters and Thibeault's Table. Head on over to Thibeault's Table to see what everyone else made this week!

Fried Green Tomatoes with Warm Indian Spices
Recipe from SpiceLines


4 medium to large green, unripe tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon (or more) garam masala, to taste
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1-1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1/3 cup ghee, clarified butter or canola oil (enough to fill the frying pan ¼ inch deep)
Chutney of your choice

Core the tomatoes and cut a very thin slice off the top and bottom. Cut each tomato into 3 horizontal slices, about ½-inch thick. Season the tomatoes lavishly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Be liberal with the salt—the tomatoes need a good sprinkle to bring out their flavor.

Set up an assembly line of three medium-sized bowls. In the first bowl, mix 1 cup of flour with 1 tablespoon or more garam masala. The mixture should be quite fragrant. In the second bowl, briskly beat the egg and milk until frothy. In the third, put the breadcrumbs.

Prepare the tomatoes: Dredge each slice of tomato in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Next, dip the tomato in the egg and milk, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Be sure that the tomatoes are well coated with bread crumbs. Set aside.


In a heavy 12-inch cast iron frying pan, heat the ghee, clarified butter or oil over medium heat. When it is very hot, put four tomato slices in the pan. Fry them for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until the crust turns crisp and golden brown. If the ghee starts to smoke, lower the heat slightly. Do not overcook or the tomatoes will be mushy. Drain on a stack of paper towels. Proceed with the rest of the tomatoes.

Serve at once, with a generous dollop of sweet-tart mango chutney.

Craving Goat Cheese: Eggplant and Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Tarragon Sauce

Apparently I'm craving goat cheese. I sat down to pick out some recipes for dinner this evening. It's my oldest son's first day home from college for Spring Break so I thought I'd do something a little special. I looked over my recipes and saw that three of the four included goat cheese. Great by me but oldest son doesn't really like goat cheese!

I've been thinking about these Eggplant and Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Tarragon Sauce a lot lately. I've made them several times so far and each time I think I like them even more! I made these with zucchini instead and they were equally as delicious and cute because they were so tiny. Perfect as an appetizer.

These yummy little bites of warm, gooey goodness from What Did You Eat? are my contribution to Saturday Blog Show case this week

The Saturday Blog Showcase is being hosted by Thibeault's Table this week. Head on over to check out what everyone else made. Be warned though, you might want to avoid it if you're on a diet. I think I gained 5 pounds just drooling over the pictures of the Hot Fudge Sauce that Anne contributed this week!

Eggplant and Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Tarragon Sauce
Recipe from What Did You Eat?

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cups fresh or canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree (one 28-ounce can)
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon
1- 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 eggplants, peeled and cut to make sixteen 1/2-inch-thick slices in all
4 eggs, beaten to mix
Cooking oil, for frying
1/2 pound mild goat cheese, such as Montrachet, cut into 8 rounds

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tarragon, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the sugar and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Dip each slice of eggplant in the eggs and then in the bread-crumb mixture, coating well. In a large frying pan, heat about half an inch of cooking oil over moderate heat until very hot. Fry the eggplant in the hot oil, in batches, turning once, until golden and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
Arrange half of the eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Put a slice of goat cheese on top of each and then top with the remaining eggplant slices. Bake until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Put the sauce on plates and top with the eggplant.

Blueberry Squares

Oh yeah. These are good. Not just good. Really good.

I saw these Saturday over at All That Splatters. They were Lori's contribution to the Saturday Blog Showcase. I knew I needed to make these and that I needed to make them right away!

So I did. :-)

Just in time for our friends Cathy and Dave to come by. They were still warm and sooo delicious. And more important, they were super easy to make. Even me who usually hates baking didn't mind making them and in fact, can't wait to make them again.

The only downside was that they didn't last nearly long enough.

Blueberry Squares (Fruit Squares)
Recipe from Fork-Knife-Spoon

1-1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/2 cup flour
2 cup fresh blueberries or cranberries or other berries
1/2 cup chopped, toasted cashew nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the 9x13 pan you are using.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs until creamy and smooth. Whisk in the melted butter and almond extract. Add flour and fold until incorporated. Fold in blueberries and nuts (if using) carefully so as not to break the fruit and color the whole batter purple.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool completely (takes about an hour really!). Cut squares and serve.

 

Head on over to Thibeault's Table to see what everyone else made this week!

Ten in 2010: Week Seven and the Best Recipe Ever!

 

Time for another Ten in 2010 update: I just can't seem to juggle things these days and keep all the balls in the air. This week I ran five times, on target with my half marathon training plan. I even worked with the weights twice. I drank lots of water. I went to bed early (okay, early-ish). But cooking and blogging. Definitely dropped the ball. In my defense we were super busy this week. The kids had three basketball games and two out-of-town wrestling meets in addition to the regular practices, Media Club and 4-H meetings. Time was definitely a factor. We ended up eating out a lot more than I'd have liked. Pizza Hut twice and Burger King once. The seasons are thankfully winding down and we won't be so slammed next week. My goal? No eating out. Actually cooking and blogging about it. We'll see how that goes! ;-) Stop by Recipe Girl's blog to see how everyone else is doing!

This week I did find the best recipe I think I've made in recent memory. Drip Beef. It's so good that I think I could make it every week (or more often!) and no one would complain. In fact, they've already been requesting it. 

The Pioneer Woman is my hero. I love her blog. I love her photographs ... and now I also love her cookbook! I made her drip beef the other day thinking that that dinner would be ready when we got home from the game. Dinner was ready. And it was delicious! Hubby is still raving about it and he had to eat it like three days in a row. The nephew gave it a thumbs up too. Definitely a recipe that we'll be making over and over. Simple ingredients. Quick prep. Amazing taste. And my contribution the the Saturday Blog Showcase hosted by Thibault's Table and All That Splatters. To see what everyone else made, head over to All That Splatters. And while you're there be sure to check out Lori's beautiful Blueberry Squares. They look amazing. (Check back soon and I'll let you know how they taste. I'm getting ready to make them right now!)

Basic Drip Beef
Recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

1 whole 2.5 To 4 Pound Chuck Roast
¼ cups Butter
1 whole Large Onion, Sliced Thick
3 cloves Garlic, Peeled
½ cups Soy Sauce
1 cup Sherry (cooking Sherry Is Fine)
½ teaspoons Salt
4 cups Water
Toasted, Buttered Deli Rolls
OPTIONAL: Rosemary, Thyme, Other Spices

Heat butter in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions for a couple of minutes, or until starting to get brown.

Set chuck roast on top of the onions. Add all remaining ingredients. Cover pot and simmer (very low heat) on the stove for 6 hours, or until beef is fork-tender and falling apart. **If meat is not yet tender, return to oven for 30 minute intervals till it’s tender!** Shred meat with two forks until all large chunks are gone. Serve immediately or continue to simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

*Mixture can be refrigerated overnight. Remove hardened fat from top of pan before reheating.
Serve on top of toasted, buttered deli rolls. Top with cheese and place under the broiler if desired.