Chocolate Chip Cookie Toast with Ricotta and Raspberries

I’m THIRTY! I know a lot of people have meltdowns or get freaked out by turning the big three-oh, but I’m stoked! 

Fried Green Tomato Salad

Just when you think summer is over….whammo! Sun! This is good news, because I have an end-of-summer recipe for you. I've been wanting to make this since July, then time just got away from me. But today, thanks to a free afternoon and some awesome tomatoes from my friends Ben & V's garden, I bring you fried green tomato salad! 

When I was in Sonoma for Amanda's 30th, we went to the Girl and the Fig, and I had this amazing plate of fried green tomatoes. I also had an incredible duck confit hash, but...we're here to talk about tomatoes. They were mixed in with arugula, fresh sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, and a tangy vinaigrette, and topped with creamy fresh ricotta. I had only had fried green tomatoes on their own, dipped in ranch or the like, so this dish blew my mind. 

Also… right now I'm reading Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (the book behind the Fried Green Tomatoes movie), so I mean, obviously the timing is good here. It's always a little disappointing to watch a movie after reading the book, but I kind of like doing it in reverse order—reading the book after watching the movie. In this case, it's been so long since I've seen the movie that I'm still surprised by everything that happens (and, a lot more happens in the book), but I can still picture Kathy Bates as Evelyn Couch, and Mary Stuart Masterson as Idgie… and I love those two gals.  

Anyway…this recipe is totally from my memory (and a scroll through my instagram photos), so I'm not sure how similar it really is to the original, but this take is pretty damn tasty. There are a few steps, but all in all, for just a bit of effort, you get great big flavor. 

Fried Green Tomato Salad 

Inspired by a dish at the Girl and the Fig

Arugula

2-3 thin slices red onion 

Vinaigrette (recipe below)

1 large, ripe heirloom tomato, sliced

2 fried green tomatoes, still warm (recipe below)

One ear of sweet corn, kernels removed 

Ricotta mixed with fresh thyme from 2-3 sprigs, and a pinch of salt

Salt & pepper

Make the vinaigrette, slice the red tomatoes and corn, whip up the ricotta, and then fry the tomatoes. To assemble, toss onion slices and a big handful of arugula with enough vinaigrette to coat. Place arugula and onion slices on plate, and layer fried and fresh tomatoes on top, add a pinch of salt, and top with corn. Top with dollops of ricotta, and drizzle with additional dressing. 

Vinaigrette 

2 tablespoons olive oil

Juice from 1 small lemon

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon maple syrup or honey

1/4 teaspoon finely chopped chives

Salt & pepper to taste

Whisk ingredients together. 

Fried Green Tomatoes

2 large, firm green tomatoes

1/2 cup flour with a pinch of salt and pepper

1 egg 

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup cornmeal

vegetable oil for frying

Slice tomatoes 1/2 thick. 

Set up your breading station:

1. Flour, salt, & pepper

2. Egg and milk, whisked

3. Panko & cornmeal 

Dip tomato slices in flour, then egg and milk mixture, then panko and cornmeal mixture.

Add about 1/4 cup of vegetable oil to a heavy bottomed skillet, and heat over medium until good and hot. Add half the tomato slices, and fry for a few minutes on each side, until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with sea salt. Repeat with remaining tomatoes. 

A Good Ol' Springtime Luncheon

Can I just tell you what an amazing, fantastic, sunny, warm, beautiful weekend we had in Seattle!? Cherry blossoms are blooming like mad, birdies are chirping. It's insane. I love it SO much. On Saturday, Amanda and I invited friends over for our annual Easter feast. While we made an absolutely delicious yet totally unspringy entree (Guinness beef pie & potatoes, since we missed St. Paddy's), the rest of the menu was super fresh and springy. Perfect for a little spring luncheon! 

So, take off that winter sweater and put on a sun dress or a little floral romper (note: if a coworker asks you what a romper is, don't try to google image search it at work to show him a picture. Not. safe. for. work.). Go barefoot! Put a fresh vase of flowers on the table. Pour some champagne or mix up some white wine spritzers. Turn on some sweet, sunny-time music, and open up the doors and windows. It's spring time!

Spring Luncheon Menu

To sip:

Champagne

White Wine

Porch swing via The Walrus & the Carpenter (pimm’s, gin, lemon, soda, and a slice of apple)

To nibble: 

Crudite: fresh veggies (carrots, asparagus, endive, cucumber) with zippy dill dip

Homemade ricotta via Ina Garten

Asparagus crostini via Epicurious: Swap the goat cheese with homemade ricotta, brush the asparagus with the vinaigrette, and give it a quick grill, instead of blanching

Deviled eggs

To dine:

Fresh Pea Salad (recipe below)

To finish: 

Lemon curd tart via Epicurious

Enjoy!

Fresh Pea Salad

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Drizzle of honey

Pinch of fresh thyme

salt, pepper

2 cups fresh sugar snap peas, cut in half lengthwise (but not down the seam)

1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced

2 big handfuls of arugula

2 green onions, sliced

1 handful of carrot tops, roughly chopped

2 endive spears, thinly sliced

Grated Parmesan 

In a large bowl, whisk olive oil through honey. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add remaining ingredients (excluding parmesan). Toss until salad is combined and coated with dressing. Top with parmesan before serving. 

Inner Stallion

I’m not Italian. I didn’t grow up eating fancy pastas, tortas, or tiramisus... our pasta was spaetzle or mac n' cheese, our tortas were huckleberry pies, and our tiramisus were German chocolate cakes with coconut pecan frosting. Italian just wasn’t our thing. I don’t even really like going to Italian restaurants that much… I mean, I can boil some pasta and throw some marinara on it myself. Evan’s part Italian, but he doesn’t really even like pasta.

I’m starting to realize, however, that there’s a lot more to Italian than spaghetti, chicken fettuccini, and fist-pumping members of the Jersey Shore cast. I’m starting to understand what good Italian cooking is all about. I like the idea of simple, fresh ingredients, with little fuss but a lot of flavor. The more I learn, the more I like it. Italian food, I mean… not the Jersey Shore.

It was this new found appreciation of the simplicity in Italian cuisine that helped me come up with a new risotto recipe…which is so good it almost had me pumping the ol’ fist a little bit. I made a margherita risotto with tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella. Apparently red, green, and white ingredients (representing the Italian flag) make something “Margherita.” It was fresh, flavorful, and what I like to think basic Italian food should taste like.

And then… because I can’t just leave well enough alone, I decided to go a little crazy with my new love of Italian—making a honey ricotta gelato with honeyed almonds. At this rate, I’ll be tanning, poufing my hair, and pumping my fist at the club before you know it.

Eat your heart out, Snooki.


Margherita Risotto

3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white onion- diced
fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 garlic cloves- minced
1 cup Arborio rice
1 cup chopped tomatoes (fresh or good quality canned)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Shredded parmesan and chopped basil for topping


Warm chicken broth in a saucepan, keep on low heat. Heat oil and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat- add onions, black pepper to taste, and oregano and sauté until onions are softened. Add garlic and sauté until softened and fragrant (about 3 minutes). Add rice and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes (and natural amount of juices, but not excess juice if you used canned) and basil- stir in.


Ladle in 1 cup simmering broth and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Continue simmering and adding broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding next. Continue until rice is tender and creamy, 16 to 18 minutes. (Add water or more broth to simmering saucepan if more liquid is needed). Stir in mozzarella, and serve topped with parmesan and additional basil!