Consider this a creative variation of a BLT sandwich.In this case I skipped the L (lettuce). I love fried green tomatoes with a spicy remoulade. Having purchased some , with a slab of hickory bacon , the creative juices were flowing.I posted about Fried Green tomatoes before. Paired with a sweet and spicy remoulade, this sandwich is full of tangy zip. So if you like fried green tomatoes and want an usual sandwich, try this . If you don’t eat bacon , try substituting turkey bacon instead. Enjoy.
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Perfect Fried Green Tomatoes
4 green tomatoes
1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup milk with a few tsp of vinegar/lemon juice
( allow to sit for 5 minutes or more)
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup corn meal
salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
vegetable oil
Prep your station with a dish of buttermilk, a dish of
beaten egg, and a dish of corn meal .
Mix 1 tsp of cayenne
and salt in the corn meal.
Slice green tomatoes into 1/2
inch rounds.
Dip each slice first in buttermilk, then egg, then
dredge in cornmeal.
Heat approx 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a fry pan.
Fry tomato
slices until golden and crispy on each side.
Drain finished pieces
on paper towels.
Sprinkle with additional salt if desired.
Set aside until assembly of sandwich.
Spicy Sweet Remoulade
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon honey
Combine all ingredients and mix.
Chill until ready to use.
Assembly of Sandwich
Components Needed:
Bread of choice ( Italian loaf, sandwich roll, kaiser roll, etc)
3 strips of crispy bacon for each sandwich
2-3 slices of fried green tomato
Remoulade to spread
Spread Remoulade on each slice of bread. Place the fried green tomato slices. Top with bacon.
A few of you may know I volunteer at the 61st Street Farmers Market when my schedule permits. It’s been a few weeks since my last shift and I was so happy to see such an abundance. What a difference a few weeks make in the growing season. Naturally I loaded up and went to town preserving the taste of summer with my beautiful Weck jars.
I don’t particularly care for sweet pickles. Give me a big sour Kosher dill pickle and I’m happy. But I decided to do a sweet pickle because I purchased a combination of various cucumbers. One being a beautiful sweet white variety. I looked at some recipes and played around and I decided to use all white vinegar, as I don’t like the taste of apple cider vinegar when I’m pickling. Odd, but that’s me.
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Bread and Butter Pickles
makes 4 1/5 liter jars
8 or nine small cucumbers for pickles ( equivalent to 2 punnets in size) ( try to get a variety )
1/3 cup salt
1 onion sliced thinly in rings
1 cup sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon whole all spice
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoon hot mustard seeds
1 teaspoon dried garlic
1 teaspoon dill
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Slice cucumbers into rings , preferably with a ripple cut. Slice onion thinly.
In a bowl, put the cucumbers and onions. Add salt and cover with cold water to cover. Cover with lid and let sit for about 3-4 hours.
Sterilize your jars and lids according to manufacturer instructions. Prepare your hot water bath.
Drain the sliced cucumbers and onions.
In a non reactive sauce pan, heat sugar, vinegar and spices.
Pack your cucumber and onions.
Pour hot vinegar/sugar solution with spices over the vegetables and seal according to manufacturer instructions.
Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.
Allow to cool on a rack and leave undisturbed t seal overnight.
Test/ check seals. Read how to see if sealed according to your jars manufacturer instructions.
I have a co worker who is a self described Giardiniera addict. We could go on and on about it. She’s one of the few kindred spirit’s I have found, that derives pure pleasure in salty acidic relishes. What is Giardiniera you ask? Well prior to coming to Chicago over ten years ago, I had never heard of it. I would get my heat and acid kick from the East Coats versions of crushed peppers on my submarines and cheese steaks, etc.
So naturally with the Mid West’s summer bounty upon us, and my refrigerator running over with heads of organic cauliflower, peppers, celery,carrots and such, it was time to attempt some Giardiniera. For my first attempt it was pretty good. The co-worker expert said it was “Freaking Good’“and wanted some more. The beauty of this recipe, is that you use whatever you have laying around. If you like your Giardiniera mild, add sweet peppers only. If you like some heat and spice go crazy with the Serrano’s and Jalapenos.After all Giardiniera means “Woman Gardener” in Italian.
To Process or Not?
I went ahead and processed mine in a water batch or my dishwasher method, as I was taught last year). There is some traditional debate on whether this is safe or not (dishwasher method).If you do a traditional water bath (the safest method), only do so for minimal time (like 3-5 minutes). At first I thought they didn’t seal, but they did the next day. The veg was still nice and crunchy. I still kept all my jars in the fridge to be safe, rather than sorry, and I’m just about out. If you don’t process, consume within 2-3 weeks and store in the refrigerator.
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Giardiniera
Makes 5-6 pint sizes
Total time 4 days to process
1 head cauliflower
1 bunch celery
4-5 large carrots
2-3 Red or hued sweet peppers
4 Jalapenos or more or less to taste. Not seeded!
4 Serrano’s . Not seeded!
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
1 tablespoon Italian Herbs mix (dried oregano, basil, etc)
1/2 to 3/4 cup Kosher Salt
1 part Vegetable or Canola oil (to cover)
1 part White Vinegar (to cover)
Preparation
Sterilized jars, and lids. 1 pint size
Clean and chop all your vegetables.Be sure to leave seeds from the heat peppers (Jalapenos and Serrano’s). In a non reactive container with lid, our salt on vegetables and cover with cold water. Cover and store 24 hours in the refrigerator.
Drain salt water. At this point you may rinse if you find the veg salty. I like salt, so didn’t. It was just fine. In another container mix your 1 part Vinegar to 1 part Oil with the remaining spices. Mix well and make sure its combined or emulsified.
Sterilize Jars and Lids. Pack the vegetables into clean sterilized jars and cover with the oil /vinegar mixture. Seal and either process in a water bath, or store in the refrigerator.
If you process, let rest after process for 12 hour until sealed. If not sealed, follow instructions from jar manufacturer to reprocess, or store immediately in the refrigerator to consume within 2-3 weeks.
Either way , once complete let, the jars rest for at least 2 days until consuming to allow the flavors to merge.
Strawberries are pretty cheap these days due to the Nations Strawberry Glut. A late Florida Season caused by a cold winter is meeting up with California’s traditional spring crops and the US market is flooded.Seeing as how I could purchase two containers of berries for the price of one, I went ahead and then put the ice cream freezer bowl in the freezer. I love to make ice cream , yet don’t do it as often as I would like .I always seem to forget how easy it is and how creative you can get.
While announcing my weekend intention on Twitter/ Face Book, renown and highly respected pastry chef, Shuna Fish Lydon suggested I roast my strawberries with vanilla sugar to coax out more flavor. That’s what I love about social media. Great chefs with a wealth of experience ready to help or just talk and share with no pretense. I took Shuna’s suggestion and ran with it a little more by roasting the berries with both vanilla sugar and Balsamic Vinegar. Oh WOW! I also decided to use Sour Cream , in addition to Half and Half and Milk. Did I mention just a bit of Creme de Noyaux, an pink almond flavored liquor made from apricot kernels? In the end the Creme de Noyaux was very subtle, but I added it to keep the ice cream from freezing hard and to enhance pink color, as homemade ice creams tend to do. My pastry instructor in the workshops at French Pastry School last summer declared Ice Creams will be next big thing in terms of trends in pastry . I do believe he is right.
Roasted Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream
3 cups Strawberries washed, hulled and halved 2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar 1/4 cup Vanilla Sugar ( save used vanilla beans and add to containers of sugar) 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar ( reserve 1/4 cup) 1 teaspoon Vanilla Paste ( extract can used as well) 2 tablespoons Creme de Noyaux 1 1/4 cup whole milk 1 1/4 cups Sour Cream 1 cup Half and Half
Prepare Freezer Bowl according to ice Cream makers instructions. Line a baking sheet with lips with aluminum foil. Spread the halved strawberries. Combine Vanilla Sugar and 1 cup of granulated sugar . Sprinkle over the berries. Drizzle the Balsamic Vinegar over the berries and sugar. Roast at 400 F until the sugar dissolves and the juices start to bubble and caramelize. This will take about 15 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and carefully pour into a bowl. Using a strainer separate the the berries from the juices, while mushing them slightly. Set aside the mashed berries in one small container and allow the hot strawberry sugar balsamic juice to cool in another container. Add vanilla paste or extract and the Creme de Noyaux. Set Aside. In a bowl or stand mixer mix the whole milk and remaining 1/4 cup sugar for a few minutes on low speed. Add the Sour Cream and half & half. Mix well. While mixing, add the Berry Juices, and mashed berries. Pour the mixture into the freezer bowl and churn for 25 minutes. It will be a soft consistency. Pour and spread into loaf pans and cover . Freeze for several more hours in the freezer until ready to serve.
This has been an amazing week in both good and bad ways. At my age I should know that when people start to attack and provoke me out of the blue, then something good is brewing in the universe for me, and they sense that. My spirit has been both deflated and elated this week. But what kept me centered is that I know my worth , value , and talent. And no one , no matter how well meaning they think they are,can take that away from me, especially as they have no bearing or impact on my future what so ever. Besides having a healthy, yet sensitive sense of self, these little recipes brought me joy in the kitchen this week. Some other things that have brought me joy are hearing from dear old friends from long ago, and a new part time job , in a professional kitchen. I auditioned and got hired hired at a caterer not far from the house. African American owned and primarily serving an upscale clientele of movers and shakers . My first night I looked up from my cutting board of quartering potatoes and see Mayor Richard Daley walking through the kitchens on a tour as a fundraiser was being held. I love this job and love working with the executive chef who I get to speak some french with.So you see everything turns around in the end for the best.
I always love the pickled pink vegetables that are served with my Middle Eastern takeouts both here and in Europe. I never really knew what I was crunching on but I loved them. Come to find out they were pickled turnips with the addition of beets to give the color. I searched the web for a recipe and most seemed to not rather simple not requiring process, just sitting in a jar for a few days. I really wanted to use my Weck Jars and decided to alter the recipe a bit. I processed mine in a water bath. While a little softer, they are just as refreshing and tangy as I remembered. Next time I will decrease my water bath to 10 minutes as opposed to 20. These turnips make a great addition to salads, grilled chicken, lamb, or beef.
Middle Eastern Pickled Turnips makes 5 1/4 L jars 1 large turnip or 3-4 small ones peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch strips 2 small beets 4-5 cloves of garlic sliced into slivers Celery leaves( 2-3 sprigs per jar) 1 cup white vinegar 1 cup water 2 tablespoons sea salt
Sterilize your jars and lids.
Boil your beets with skin for about 8-10 minutes. Remove from water and allow to cool. Peel and quarter. Set aside.
Blanch the peeled and sliced turnips in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. Allow to cool.
Pack each jar with 2 pieces of quartered beet, turnips, garlic, and celery leaves.
In a saucepan boil vinegar and water with the salt. Pour the hot vinegar solution over the turnips . Seal and process in a water batch for 10 minutes. Remove from water and allow to cool on a rack for 24 hours.
Kale Salad really doesnt require a formal recipe. I thought the concept of a kale salad was strange at first. But one bite and you feel the healthy leafy green energizing your body. I can imagine many variations for this salad, but I kept it simple with items most of us have on hand. I have found the key is to massage your bite size kale pieces with the oil of your choice to soften it. Kale Salad Wash and dry your kale. Remove large center stem and tear the kale into bite size pieces. With your hands , massage the kale with olive oil for a few minutes. Add carrots, tomatoes, garlic,slivered onion, and finish with Balsamic Vinegar. Chill and serve. Can keep for about 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
