Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Fried Green Tomatoes!


There are so many tomatoes still on the vine, but they are never going to ripen in November, even with the extremely warm days we are having.

The tomato season was late this year, which is why we ended up with so many unripe tomatoes.
Mr. A was just about to pull the vines out when I suggested we make fried green tomatoes!

First, we coated the slices in an egg batter....

...then rolled them in bread crumbs. Not just any bread crumbs though.

Panko bread crumbs!

After adding salt and pepper, we then fried them in olive oil.

The tomatoes were absolutely delicious. The Panko bread crumbs made them extra crispy, and the tomatoes themselves had a tangy flavor.
Although we ate them as hors d'oeuvres, they would have made great sandwiches on sourdough bread with aioli!

We still have lots of green tomatoes and I'm thinking of pickling them like they do in Italy.
Mario Batali had a better idea though. Spaghetti with Green Tomato Sauce!
Here's his recipe:

Spaghetti Con Pomodori Verdi

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup mint leaves
  • 1/4 cup basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup arugula
  • 1/4 cup dill
  • 5 green tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt.

In the bowl of a food processor combine the herbs, tomatoes and garlic and puree. Add the cheese and pulse for 30 seconds.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water until tender yet al dente. 1 minute before the pasta is done, turn on the food processor and slowly drizzle the oil in to make a smooth sauce. Drain the pasta, discarding the water, and return to the hot pot. Stir in the tomato mixture, season with salt and pepper, to taste and serve immediately.

Do you have green tomatoes coming out your ears?
Do you have any special recipes?

I'm linking to Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday!

Monday, November 15, 2010

What I Didn't Buy At the Antique Show


This booth at the Hillsborough Antique Show was filled to the brim with linen, grain sacks, mangle cloths and pillows. It made my heart skip a beat!

I passed up this lovely yardage. Now I regret it! It's unusual to find flax linen like this with the caramel brown stripe. It would have been a wonderful runner for the Thanksgiving table!

There were other colors too. Red stripe, purple stripe, blue and black striped runners. Why didn't I at least get a couple of yards?

I thought these Christmas stockings were adorable! They would have been perfect for my #1 daughter's family. Passed them up....

As well as these monogrammed sachets filled with lavender. They would make great little gifts, but no, I left them there!

There were many monogrammed grain sacks too. My BFF, Maureen found a mangle cloth with her initials. Perfect as a tablecloth. I made her buy it! But again, I didn't buy a thing. What was wrong with me?

As much as I love this look, there is just so much that one can have before it becomes too much of a good thing.
For instance, I had slipcovers made for these two captain's chairs out of grain sacks. If I added a similar runner for the table, it would be too much.

I even upholstered my four French chairs out of coffee sacks!

Which went great with the linen and burlap tablescape I did back in May.

The living room is a study in linen!

I even had a French grain sack framed!

As much as I regret passing up all the great European linens at the antique show, I think it was probably the right thing to do. For once, I listened to my gut and told myself, "you have enough of this already!"

I found it interesting that this was the only grain sack I found in Italy!
Seriously, I did not see one bit of burlap or linen there.
Which also confirmed to me that I shouldn't invest anymore in this look!

I did get the dealer's card though, just in case!
That caramel stripe runner is calling my name!

Share

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More