freestyle friday

"secret's in the sauce"

something about a leisurely three day weekend, especially one wrapped in red, white, and blue, makes one yearn to return to a simpler way of life. the rhythm of a 40 (or 60, or 80..) hour work week seems to wipe out any time for consideration. while we do spend a sizable amount of time in the 'city' for work and school, we feel lucky up here from maggie's farm.  farming does have a way of lending itself to reflection.  hard, hard work often, but the pace, and the peace, seems to allow for a quieter, more solitary thought life that really does help us savor the simple. 

"i wouldn't be afraid of death if i was you. i'd be more afraid of driving in rush hour traffic"

ninny threadgoode, fried green tomatoes

but that doesn't mean we're always patient about it. and this weekend, when we really enjoy celebrating with a home-cooked meal of comfort food,  we yearn for tomatoes.  we ache for them.  it's as painful right now, waiting for those tomatoes to ripen, as it is for a child to sit patiently at the breakfast table on christmas morning. oh just a peek at the presents, they think.  maybe just open one before we eat?  how we relate!  in our neck of the woods, the tomatoes are just not ready, yet.  they're there, teasing us, but they're green. unripened. not ready. and, after all, patience is not one of our virtues.  not at all. 

so we've found the perfect 'peek'-- fried green tomatoes.  many are more familiar with the movie than the actual dish.  in fact before the movie, many had never even heard of eating anything with green tomatoes.  my mother always told us green tomatoes would make us sick.  (i think she might have been attempting to teach an impetuous daughter about patience.  see how that turned out, huh?)

 serves 4

 4 large green tomatoes

 2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 t coarse kosher salt

1/4 t ground black pepper

1/4 t freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 t cayenne pepper

1/4 t baking powder

1 quart canola oil for frying

slice tomatoes 1/4 to 1/2 " thick.   prepare three separate bowls--in one, place flour combined with salt and pepper. in the next, whisk together egg and buttermilk.  in the third, combine cornmeal, breadcrumbs, baking powder and spices. dredge each slice in flour, dip in egg mixture, coating both sides, and finally pressing each side into breadcrumb mixture. in large skillet, heat 1/2 to 1" of canola oil under medium heat, until a pinch of batter (just take a little of that breadcrumb mixture that's moistened with the egg from what remains in that dish) begins to sizzle.  it's important to allow the oil to heat up sufficiently, or your batter will fall away from the slices and it will soak up more oil, in short, it will be a big ol' mess.  place slices into skillet, without sides touching, frying in batches.  keep an eye on them, gently lifting to check progress, until browned.  gently turn and brown the flip side.  remove from skillet and drain on toweling, reserving in a warm oven as you complete remaining slices.  serve with dipping sauce, below.

"secret's in the sauce"

combine 1/4 cup buttermilk, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 sour cream. add 1/4 to 1/2 t, to taste, each, of onion salt, dill weed, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. allow flavors to marry 30 minutes or more in refrigerator prior to serving.

plate by placing on a bed of mixed greens, and serving sauce alongside.  enjoy with a tall, frosty glass of 'sweet tea' like any good southerner would.

superfoods we used: none

it's a holiday.  moderation in all things, even in superfoods!  we eat healthy on most days, so that we might splurge on occasion.  however, we did swap out lard for the healthier canola oil.  read more about healthy oils at this link.

maybe you'll make this a part of a comfort foods celebration this memorial day weekend.  or perhaps you'll do anything but step into your kitchen.  maybe your fella grills for the holiday and you put your feet up. or your significant other runs out for pizza while you lounge in a hammock. whatever it is that you find yourself doing this weekend, we wish for you time savoring the simple. 

 have a lovely weekend.

this week from maggie's farm

what we harvested this week:  green tomatoes, cucumbers, kale, peas, turnips, green beans, chive blossoms, basil, rosemary, sweet onions, spring onions, squash blossoms

what we produced this week: mixed vegetable kimchee, sauerkraut, pickled pak choi, apricot basil compound butter

what we tackled this week: local road trips to llano, mason,  johnson city, stonewall, blanco, texas, and a few stops in between (we'll share all our finds soon!), a duck yard replete with it's own in-ground pool.  (i'm a little envious of the ducks now, all their preening and sunbathing, just taunting us, i tell ya...)

what we are thankful for: big, sloppy precious dog licks, goats eating out of hand, ducks laying where we can find the eggs now, loud, raucous laughter with friends and family, and warm, clear, starry nights of sharing peanuts and ice cold lone stars on the front porch after a day of hard, and very sweaty work.

words that inspire us:

enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. – robert brault

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I hear they've got an assertiveness training class for southern women.
Of course that's a contradiction in terms. 
missy, fried green tomatoes