Fried Green Tomatoes with Rémoulade

I think the best days are the ones when nothing remarkable happens.  Those are good days too, but the best days seem to be the quiet ones, full of small things to enjoy- a new book, a latte, a homemade meal, a game of tennis with a friend.  These days have a certain comfortable feeling of peace, and I think some recipes reflect that.  For me, one of the recipes that brings that feeling is fried green tomatoes.  

I got this recipe from my new favorite cookbook, The Comfort Table by Katie Lee Joel.  I picked it up a few weeks ago, and I'm super excited to try just about everything.  Especially the macaroni and four cheeses and buttermilk coleslaw :)

Oh, and there's a foreword by Paula Deen, which automatically justifies buying this book! She includes her recipe for Grandmother Paul's Red Velvet Cake, which is an extra bonus :)

Fried Green Tomates

from The Comfort Table, by Katie Lee Joel

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

pinch cayenne pepper

1 cup buttermilk 

1/2 cup vegetable oil (and more if you need it)

4 large green tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick

I used more than four tomatoes, because mine were all sizes.  We got these at a local organic farm- aren't they beautiful? :)

In a medium bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Fill a small shallow bowl with buttermilk.  Place the bowls next to each other and next to the stove.

Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  The oil should be hot but not smoking.

Dip the tomatoes in the buttermilk and dredge in the cornmeal mixture.  Fry the tomatoes in batches, until the crust is golden brown and crunchy, 4 to 5 minutes on each side.  Drain on paper towels.  Transfer the tomatoes to a serving plate and serve with the rémoulade.

Rémoulade

1 cup mayonnaise

3 Tbsp ketchup

1 scallion, thinly sliced (I didn't have one, so I left it out)

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp hot sauce, or to taste

1.2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Roasted Kohlrabi

One of my favorite purchases from the farmers' market on Sunday was a bag of three heads of kohlrabi. 

The first time I had kohlrabi was a few years ago, when my dad sauteed it in some olive oil, Italian seasoning, and cheese.  My mom was gone that evening, and I doubt there were any leftovers for her to enjoy.  Sometimes the best things in life are the simplest, and there are a few flavor combos that never get old.  Like olive oil and Italian seasoning.  And just about anything with cheese :)

I wanted to try to recreate the dish my dad made, but I choose to roast the it instead- less effort than sauteing and still a great payoff!  Plus, you can adjust the seasonings however you want and make the dish your own.

Roasted Kohlrabi

kohlrabi heads 

olive oil

salt

Italian seasoning

Cut the stalks off the kohlrabi and trim off the thick green/purple skin.  Dice the heads and toss with olive oil.  Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and Italian seasoning, and anything else you want (pepper, cheese, garlic, etc).  Roast at 450 for 30-35 minutes, stirring after about 20 minutes and checking every five minutes after that.

Ready for the oven!

Done!

Broccoli Slaw, Shrimp, and Nectarines

I was sitting on the couch yesterday watching "Grey's Anatomy" for the first time (how have I been missing this?) and flipping through an old July issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray, writing down the recipes I want to make, and one caught my eye- Coconut-Crusted Shrimp with Peanut Butter Curry Sauce. I wasn't excited by the idea of serving the shrimp over bok choy and cherry tomatoes, but we had everything else the recipe called for and as far as I'm concerned, you can serve anything over brown rice and it will be good.  

So I jumped off the couch and set the shrimp to defrosting, while I made my second galette in a week! It was with some super ripe nectarines I bought in the morning, and I used the same crust as I did for the strawberry galette.  I was feeling a minimalist vibe, so I sprinkled the crust and then the nectarines with some sugar and cinnamon and put it in the oven.

Before the oven...

And after the oven...

And after the shrimp :)

While the shrimp was thawing, I made a broccoli slaw I'd had my heart set on for a few days.  It came together fast and made a tasty, light summer salad.

Broccoli Slaw

slightly adapted from The Kitchn

several cups (I used 3-4) sliced broccoli florets

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp raisins, plumped in boiling water

1/2 cup chopped red onion

3/4 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

pepper

In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, raisins, almonds, and red onion.

Whisk together the mayo, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar salt, and a few grinds of pepper.  Pour over broccoli and stir to combine.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper.  Refrigerate 30 minutes so the flavors can mingle.  

Back to the shrimp: since I was serving the shrimp differently than how the recipe indicated, I ad-libbed my way through some of the recipe.  It turned out fine, although we thought the curry flavor was dominant and the others were just not there.  Next time I would increase the peanut butter and the coconut, and even add more curry to give the sauce some heat.  It was good though, and the rest of the sauce will probably go over more brown rice and chicken at some point this week.

The recipe can be found in the June/July 2007 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray, or here.

A quick update: pictures of Monday night are on the way!! 

Dried Fig Almond Bark and a Happy Fourth

I hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July! Ours this year was different from what it has always been- instead of going to my grandparents' summer house we stayed home and went to the local parade, a neighborhood barbecue, and then a minor league baseball game.  It was fun, and there was definitely a lot of good food to go around :) More on that to come, but I've got a recipe from last week to share first:

Dried Fig Almond Bark

slightly adapted from Food Network

1 lb semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup chopped dried figs

Line a baking sheet with foil, shiny side  up.  Melt the semisweet chocolate in a double boiler or intervals in the microwave.  Spread the chocolate on the foil, making a layer about 1/4 inch thick.  Sprinkle on the almonds and figs, so that there will be some of each in each bite.  Let harden at room temp (or in the fridge) before breaking into pieces.

This was our Friday snack/dessert while we got ready for the memorial the next day.  Almonds and figs are good for you, and you could really give this an extra flavor and health kick by using dark chocolate.  I think that might even go better with the almonds, and probably the figs.

On to the Fourth..

This was the first year our neighborhood had a community barbecue, and we were all asked to bring a salad.  Something else came to mind though, a recipe my mom has made several times over the years.  It does take some time but the end result is pretty and festive.  They were a hit at the barbecue, and one neighbor asked for the recipe, so I'm glad I put in the time and made these.  Make these and score some major brownie points at your next get together :) 

Rainbow Gelatin Cubes

from Taste of Home

4 3-oz packages Jell-O ( I used two red and one 6-oz of blue, divided)

6 envelopes unflavored gelatin

5 3/4 cups boiling water

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup cold water

In a bowl, combine one package Jell-O and one envelope unflavored gelatin.  Stir in one cup boiling water until dissolved.  Pour into a 9x13 baking dish coated with cooking spray and refrigerate until set but not firm, about 20 minutes.

In another bowl, combine the condensed milk and one cup boiling water.  In another bowl, sprinkle two enveloped unflavored gelatin over cold water and let stand for one minute.  Stir in 3/4 cup boiling water and add to milk mixture.  Spoon one cup of the creamy gelatin mixture over the first layer of Jell-O and refrigerate until set but not firm, about 25 minutes.

Repeat from beginning of recipe twice alternating Jell-O with creamy gelatin layers.  Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into one-inch squares.

 Everything you need, minus the water.

Our fridge shelf is less than perfectly flat, haha.

Ready for the barbecue!

My bottom layer(s), red and white, got a bit cloudy because the red hadn't set when I poured on the white layer.