First Friday Food

Fried Green Tomatoes

/ Shane / Leave a comment

The first Friday of the month is reserved for recipes. You can see additional First Friday Food posts here.

The Reason:

I’m not sure I had a single post on the garden this year. However, we recently tore out all the tomato plants to start getting ready for winter, which left us with lots and lots of green tomatoes. And, quite frankly, what’s not improved with a little breading and frying? 2014_10_19_0293

The Journey:

The plants were still green and flowering when we pulled them out, but we have already dealt with our fair share of tomatoes. We processed and canned over 100 lbs. this year! Mostly salsa and marinara, and a few other things. There are only so many things you can do with green tomatoes. We pickled some, made chutney with some, but you only need so many jars of pickled green tomatoes (possibly 0 jars; we’ll see when they’re ready!) I’m not from the south, and this wasn’t something we ate growing up. When Sara lived in North Carolina, I remember ordering them at a restaurant somewhere. Sort of a “when in Rome” kind of thing. They were *amazing*, and all these years later, I’m still chasing that dragon. I’ve never had any since that were quite as good. 2014_10_19_0294

The Verdict:

Well *I* think they are delicious. The kids don’t care for them at all, and Sara likes to have a few as an appetizer here and again, which left lots and lots of helpings for me (like, all I could eat plus another 2 lunches or so). There are lots of recipes online for fried green tomatoes, but the key to me was the cornmeal. That’s what really gives them that flavor I was looking for. Sara likes to make up her own sauces, but a little spicy & sweet mustard is my favorite. 2014_10_19_0298

The Recipe:

Recipe adapted from AllRecipes:

  • 4 large green tomatoes
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs
  • 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Extra virgin olive oil for frying
  1. Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. Discard the ends.
  2. Whisk eggs and milk together in a medium-size bowl. Scoop flour onto a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate. Dip tomatoes into flour to coat. Then dip the tomatoes into milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.
  3. In a large skillet, pour oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place tomatoes into the frying pan in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the tomatoes, they should not touch each other. When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels.

Peach Dutch Baby

/ Shane / 3 Comments

The first Friday of the month is reserved for recipes. You can see additional First Friday Food posts here.

The Reason:

Speaking of traditions, we have one around here called Pancake Sunday. As such, we are in constant search of new pancake recipes.

The Journey:

I mean, first off, peaches. Yummy, in-season, late summer peaches; I’m not quite as sure about October peaches. Unless you trust your peach-dealer implicitly, you might want to put this one in your back pocket for a bit (sorry I didn’t get this one out in a more timely fashion!)

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A dutch baby is like making one big, enormous pancake. It’s German in origin, stemming from a corruption of deutsch. You pour everything in a cast-iron skillet and bake it like a cake (now that’s what I call a pancake!). Plus you get to say you’re eating a “dutch baby”, which the kids think is pretty hilarious.

peach skillet

Honestly, the only downside to pancake day is that you have to make all of the pancakes. Standing over a hot stove for an hour, flipping pancake after pancake…a dutch baby, though, just set it and forget it. WAY easier (though there are a lot fewer leftovers).

dutch baby

The Verdict:

This recipe is amazing. I have been intrigued by the idea of dutch babies for a long time, but I’ve tried a few recipes with “meh” results. This one, though…this one is solid gold. Delicious, juicy, golden peach-gold.

peaches

The Recipe:

Recipe from FiveHeartHome.

  • 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
  • 2 cups peeled, sliced peaches (about 3 peaches)
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. In a medium bowl, blend 2 tablespoons sugar with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Stir in peach slices and toss until evenly coated.
  3. Place butter in a 9 to 10-inch glass pie plate or ovenproof skillet. Place dish in oven for a couple of minutes until butter is melted. Use a potholder to remove dish from oven and swirl to evenly coat bottom with melted butter.
  4. Spread peach slices over butter in an even layer and return to oven to bake for 10 minutes.
  5. While peaches are baking, pour eggs, milk, flour, salt, vanilla, and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a blender. Blend on medium speed for 1 minute. Once peaches have baked, remove dish from oven with a potholder and slowly pour batter over peaches.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes or until pancake is golden brown and puffy. Allow to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack (it will significantly deflate) before dusting with powdered sugar, slicing, and serving warm.

Farmer’s Market Cherry Pie

/ Shane / Leave a comment

The first Friday of the month is reserved for recipes. You can see additional First Friday Food posts here.

The Reason:

We were just strolling through the farmer’s market, and this just kind of happened. We got almost all of the ingredients at the market; obviously the sweet cherries, but also the ice cream, and even the flour! It’s hard to beat pie, but it’s nearly impossible to beat homemade farmer’s market pie.

The Journey:

You know who makes a good cherry pitter? A 4 year old.

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Cherry pie used to be my all time favorite pie. Now I’d probably say apple, but cherry pie still ranks up there. And you don’t get it nearly as often as apple.

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I love our little farmer’s market. It’s not the biggest market, but it has everything you need (and it’s certainly the closest market). A couple of fruit and vegetable stands, chef demos, cheese, meat, eggs, bread, (flour!), crepes, and flowers. What more could you ask for? It’s so nice to see all the familiar faces, both the vendors who have been coming every week for years, and the neighbors you run into when you’re there.

We go every possible weekend that we can, and regret every weekend we can’t make.

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The Verdict:

I know it’s almost a cliched debate at this point, but for my money you CAN NOT BEAT warm pie with vanilla ice cream. Don’t give me any of that cake nonsense. I mean, sure, cake is delicious. But moist, delicious, fruity, warm pie, with ice cream melting in your mouth?

Heaven.

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The Recipe:

Whole Wheat Crust recipe from Whole Foods. I did get both a full bottom and top out of this recipe.

  • 1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 7 tablespoons very cold butter
  1. Mix flour with salt in food processor.
  2. Add cold butter and pulse in food processor.
  3. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, until dough forms into a ball. (It actually took me 3 1/2 tablespoons)
  4. Gather up and pat into a disc. Cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes before rolling out.
  5. When ready to use, roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 10-inch circle. (It was very crumbly at first; I had to work it with my hands for a bit until I could roll it.)
  6. Gently fold into quarters using a little flour as needed to prevent sticking. Place dough in pie plate and carefully unfold, fitting loosely and then pressing into place. Trim the edges and crimp for a decorative crust.

Pie filling recipe sort of derived from Food in Jars, but using directions from the Food Network.

  • 4 cups (1 quart) pitted sour cherries
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons corn starch
  • 1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Place cherries in medium saucepan and place over heat. Cover. After the cherries lose considerable juice, which may take a few minutes, remove from heat.
  3. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch together. Pour this mixture into the hot cherries and mix well.
  4. Add the almond extract, if desired, and mix.
  5. Return the mixture to the stove and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently. (~10 minutes maybe?)
  6. Remove from the heat and let cool. If the filling is too thick, add a little water, too thin, add a little more cornstarch.
  7. Prepare your crust. Divide in half. Roll out each piece large enough to fit into an 8 to 9-inch pan. Pour cooled cherry mixture into the crust. Place top crust on and crimp edges with a fork. Make a slit in the middle of the crust for steam to escape.
  8. Sprinkle with sugar.
  9. Bake for about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.

Homemade Pizza

/ Shane / Leave a comment

The first Friday of the month is reserved for recipes. You can see additional First Friday Food posts here.

The Reason:

When I started doing First Friday Food posts, I wasn’t sure exactly what I was going to do with them. I think I had a vague notion of maybe using it to try out new recipes? However, they’ve very quickly turned into a repository for all our best recipes, and I mainly use it to look up all the stuff I need to cook.

So, that being said, I can’t believe I haven’t put this recipe up before! I don’t think we go a single week without making pizza.

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The Journey:

I know a lot of pizza is consumed in America. What do people do? Is it all takeout? Please tell me it isn’t all frozen pizza.

Pizza from a restaurant is so different than homemade pizza that, to me, they’re like separate food items. There’s pizza, and then there’s homemade pizza. Entirely different animals. I could have homemade one night and store-bought the next and it wouldn’t seem weird.

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When I was a kid, we always made our own pizza. It was kind of “our thing” as a family. I remember having friends come over to stay the night and they would be so excited to make pizza. They had honestly never heard of making your own pizza.

I remember one year we made personal pizzas for my birthday party. I suppose these days that’s not that unusual, but back then it was a big deal. Kids went nuts. My mom let us put whatever we wanted on our pizzas. For all my friends who thought pizza could only come pre-made, it was like leaving prison for the first time in 20 years and being handed a million bucks. A little too much freedom. I remember some kids putting ketchup instead of sauce, I think maybe even someone put mustard on one, a couple of people went with gummy worms…it was getting out of control.

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It’s fun to carry on the tradition with my own kids. They love it. We had to buy an extra rolling pin to avoid fights.

There’s just something liberating about tossing anything and everything on the pizza. It’s great, because you can use up whatever you have in the fridge, different people can have different toppings and make it just how they want it (Evie has just crust and sauce, that’s it. Nothing more, nothing less (unless there’s bacon)), and it’s never the same thing twice!

Some of our regular toppings include:

  • Onion (white or red)
  • Peppers (of a variety of colors)
  • Tomatoes
  • Fresh mozzarella
  • Parmesan
  • Pesto (instead of tomato sauce)
  • Assorted spices (e.g. black pepper, oregano, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, dill)
  • Bacon or crumbed sausage
  • Sundried tomatoes
  • Sliced garlic
  • Artichokes
  • Radishes

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The Verdict:

I mean, what’s there to say? It’s homemade pizza.

It’s amazing. Everybody loves it. It’s relatively healthy. It’s pretty easy to throw together. It’s fun. It’s both a food an activity.

Enjoy!

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The Recipe:

  • 1 1/8 cup water
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 Tablespoons wheat gluten
  • 2 Tablespoons flax (ground)
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
  1. Add everything to your bread machine and run the “pizza” cycle, if you have one. Ours takes 45 minutes and kneads periodically.
  2. Allow the dough to rise for about 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 550 degrees.
  4. Roll the dough flat and place it on a pizza pan or cookie sheet. We make two pizzas with this recipe.
  5. Add whatever toppings your heart desires.
  6. Cook for 8 minutes.
  7. Turn off the smoke detector which absolutely always goes off during this time.
  8. Rotate the pizzas and cook for no more than 5 minutes more.

Chocolate Covered Bacon Toffee (aka Bacon Crack)

/ Shane / Leave a comment

First Friday Food began with me guest-posting on another blog, so it seems fitting to host a guest recipe of my own.

Today, fellow author Beth Cato (as you may know, we shared a table of contents in OOMPH) stops by as part of the Clockwork Cookie Blog Tour to talk to us about her new book, as well of two of the most wonderful things in the world: bacon, and toffee.

I think I might have just picked out the first recipe for Baconfest next year…

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Hi! I’m Beth Cato. I’m here to share some sweet-salty-savory goodness and to introduce you to my book.

My debut novel, THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER, comes out September 16th from Harper Voyager. It’s a steampunk novel with airships, espionage, and a world tree that seriously plays favorites. Here’s the back cover summary:

Orphaned as a child, Octavia Leander was doomed to grow up on the streets until Miss Percival saved her and taught her to become a medician. Gifted with incredible powers, the young healer is about to embark on her first mission, visiting suffering cities in the far reaches of the war-scarred realm. But the airship on which she is traveling is plagued by a series of strange and disturbing occurrences, including murder, and Octavia herself is threatened.

Suddenly, she is caught up in a flurry of intrigue: the dashingly attractive steward may be one of the infamous Clockwork Daggers—the Queen’s spies and assassins—and her cabin-mate harbors disturbing secrets. But the danger is only beginning, for Octavia discovers that the deadly conspiracy aboard the airship may reach the crown itself.

You can also read the full first chapter over at Tor.com. It can be found at Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and most any independent bookstore.

Now, on to the Bacon Crack!

I’m an author, but I’m also somewhat infamous for my cooking. Every Wednesday over at my site, I post a new recipe in my Bready or Not series.

This recipe makes bacon into addictive candy. The first thing you taste is chocolate, then the sweet of toffee, and then the smoky, salty taste of the bacon. The pieces are small and it’s easy to keep popping them in your mouth.

It’s called bacon crack for a reason.

Chocolate Covered Bacon Toffee (aka Bacon Crack)

Modified from Wine and Glue

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups butter
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup sliced almonds
  • 10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (should make about one cup)
  • 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  1. Prep the bacon and have it ready. Layer a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil and make sure you have a space where it will fit in the fridge.
  2. It’s toffee time. In a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, melt the butter, sugar, and salt. Stir regularly until the mixture boils and comes to a 285 degrees F. (Yes, a candy thermometer is necessary here.) The temperature is slow to start but once it gets above boiling, it goes up quickly.
  3. Once the mixture has reached the right temperature, quickly stir in the almonds, and then the bacon. The fat is going to melt off the bacon immediately and separate from the rest of the mixture.
  4. Pour it all into the jelly roll pan.  It will start to set quickly, and the bacon fat will be liquid and on top. If you can, lift the pan with one of the corners pointed down and pour off the fat into the glass measuring cup. Get as much of it as you can, turning the pan and dripping from the opposite corner as necessary. OR–because my mixture didn’t set and wanted to slide off–grab some paper towels and blot the fat from the top.
  5. Let the toffee set for at least two hours in the refrigerator. Move to the freezer for an hour. Once frozen, break it apart and store it in there as you prep the chocolate.
  6. Melt the chocolate using the microwave or a double boiler. Taking a few pieces of toffee out of the freezer at a time, dip it in the chocolate, setting it on wax paper to set.
  7. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

OM NOM NOM.

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Beth Cato’s the author of THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER, a steampunk fantasy novel from Harper Voyager. Her short fiction is in InterGalactic Medicine Show, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Daily Science Fiction. She’s a Hanford, California native transplanted to the Arizona desert, where she lives with her husband, son, and requisite cat.