The paths between three of my raised beds were so overgrown with untamed tomato vines that I had to walk all around the perimeter to get into the garden. This puts me near the chicken yard which makes one squawky Australorp, the one who’s always eyeballing me, set up an opinionated rant.
I don’t know what it is about that one chicken, but she feels entitled. I guess I’ve trained her to be that way since I usually relent and go over there and give her something tasty from the garden, like an overripe cucumber or a bug-defiled tomato.
All of which is a long way to say that I pruned the tomato vines, opened up the paths in the garden, can now avoid the judgmental eye of That Chicken, and had several green tomatoes for a late-summer treat: Fried Green Tomatoes.
There are many variations, including using flour instead of cornmeal. That’s good, too. I prefer the crunch of cornmeal. I also use corn meal mix. I do this because my husband, a creature of habit, does the grocery shopping and somewhere along the line he got the idea I prefer mix to plain cornmeal and I’m fine with that. Ordinary cornmeal with a bit of salt would do just great as well. This is a guideline, adjust amounts depending on how many you intend to feed. Here’s how I do it:
Fried Green Tomatoes
sliced green tomatoes
corn meal mix
egg(s) and water
salt & pepper
vegetable oil of choice, canola or olive are both good
Wash and slice tomatoes about the same thickness you would for a platter of sliced tomatoes, not too thin and not too thick.
Lightly beat an egg and add about a tablespoon of water. Blend.
On a plate, mix a quantity of the cornmeal or cornmeal mix with a bit of extra salt and enough pepper to lightly fleck the meal. Use enough cornmeal to cover the plate to a thickness of about a half an inch.
Heat about a quarter of an inch of oil over medium heat until the corner of a tomato dipped in the oil sizzles enthusiastically but not, say, at an Elvis concert level. If it sounds like the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, turn it down a good notch. If the oil is smoking, that’s also too hot.
Dip the tomato slices in the egg and then in the cornmeal, turning to coat both sides.
Place in the oil and brown both sides. If you are making several successive batches, it’s a good idea to wipe out the skillet between batches to remove the excess cornmeal in the bottom of the pan which will burn and give a scorched flavor to the second batch. Slosh in fresh oil and let it heat to the right temperature before starting a new batch.
Drain on towels and enjoy hot. They just aren’t the same leftover.
I appreciate trying to live within one’s means.
What does this have to do with cookies? My nephew was married last week and, besides the wedding cake, the reception was cookies and punch, supplied by family and friends.
I hope the trend away from the extravagant wedding that starts a couple off with debt or which bankrupts the couple’s parents lasts beyond the recession. I applaud my nephew and his lovely bride for their decision to keep it simple and sweet (and it was).
That said, there are people, including the mother of the groom, who don’t eat refined sugar and I wanted to give them something to nibble on besides the napkins. This is what I came up with. They get their sweetness from pureed golden raisins. They’re wheat-free as well. If you want to make them dairy-free, try oil in place of the melted butter.
Oatmeal Raisin Walnut Cookies
makes at least 2 dozen
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1/2 of a 15 oz. box golden raisins
1/2 lb. walnuts
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt
1 large egg
This recipe requires a food processor or a food mill. The oatmeal and walnuts could be done in a blender, but I believe the raisins need the food processor or a food mill to keep you from killing yourself.
Lightly toast the oatmeal in a dry skillet until fragrant. Place in food processor and process to a coarse flour. Remove from processor.
Put walnuts in processor and pulse until finely ground. Remove from processor.
Combine with the oatmeal, spices, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Place the raisins in the processor and puree until they form a paste.
Add butter and egg and blend well.
Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Drop by small spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet.
Bake in a 325 degree F. oven for 12-14 minutes. Check after 8-10 minutes because they tend to get extra brown on the bottom very fast.
Remove from cookie sheet and cool.
I’m going to have to buy squash to make this from now on because my eight squash plants produced a total of 4 squash before I ripped them out. They were infested with squash borers and squash bugs and I gave them to the chickens. I hope they ate every bug.
It’ll be worth buying them from the market, though, because fried squash is a treat. The breading has a nice soft crunch and the squash has a slightly sweet, buttery flavor. If you’ve never had fried squash, give it a try. The recipe that follows is a guideline. Adjust quantities depending on how many you plan to serve, the size of your squash, etc.
Fried Squash
Summer squash, sliced 1/4″- 1/3″-inch thick
Flour (I used whole wheat, but you can use all-purpose if you prefer)
salt & pepper
eggs, beaten
oil of choice (a light olive oil or canola would be lovely)
Method:
Heat oil in a large skillet to a depth of about 1/4-inch, over medium-low heat.
Put a quantity of flour on a plate, start with about half a cup, adding more if necessary, and season well with salt and pepper.
Use a number of eggs sufficient to dip the quantity of squash you are frying.
Dip the squash first into the egg, then into the flour, coating all surfaces of the squash. Knock off excess flour.
Test the oil to see if it is ready by dipping an edge of the squash into the pan. If it sizzles with enthusiasm it is ready. If it goes wild reduce the heat a little.
Add the floured squash to the pan in a single layer, turning as the first side turns golden brown. Brown the other side and remove from the oil and drain on towels.
Serve immediately.
