Sandbridge Tomato Stacks

I'm spending the waning summer weeks (I know it's officially Fall, but it still feels like summer here for the most part!) at Virginia Beach cooking for an eclectic group of very appreciative musicians, and I am fortunate to have a most excellent produce stand (Cromwells Produce) within reach to help me plan meals. I have a basic plan of "fish, veg, salad, bread, dessert" for each day, and the good folks at Cromwells make specifics easy by offering up a lovely array of seasonal goodies from the adjacent farm. Gorgeous green beans, tomatoes, squash, kale, sweet potatoes, onions, poblano peppers and more make appearances on the dinner menu. And I also make fun nibbles for "happy hour", and while pondering aloud what I should do to take advantage of the incredible tomatoes, Elizabeth at Cromwells gave me the idea for a Tomato Stack, which I translated to fit my group.

Prep for "baked not fried green tomatoes"

Each week, there's a different group of people, and within each week, there are folks who have various allergies, sensitivities and/or food preferences. I want happy eaters, so I do what I can to make dishes that everybody can enjoy. Sometimes there are a few alternate choices when a main dish can't be totally converted, but I was able to make versions of this app to suit everyone this week. I'm listing the recipe as I made it, with notes on possible substitutions. It was a huge hit, and will make appearances in various forms as long as the tomatoes hold out while I'm here! When I made this last night, a lot was "eye-balled" in quantities and proportions, and it was made to feed 26. What I have below is an attempt to bring it down to "serves 6", but in lieu of exact measurements, I may use proportions and/or suggestions. I'll refine once I make it with pen and paper in hand. :)

Sandbridge Tomato Stacks

Tomato Stack

(serves 6 ... ish)

Preheat oven to 425 F.

6 medium/large green tomatoes
6 medium small red tomatoes (I was able to use a gorgeous tiger-striped variety)
1 cup gluten-free bread crumbs (of course if you're not gluten free, you can use regular Panko)
Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Dried Basil leaves
Dried Parsley leaves
3 Duck eggs, or 4 regular eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup coconut milk (or 'milk' of your choice)
Soft Goat Cheese
Kalamata Olives, halved

In a wide rim bowl, whisk 'milk' into beaten eggs. In another small bowl, combine bread crumbs with salt, cayenne (both to taste) with a generous sprinkle of dried basil and parsley.

Slice green and red tomatoes into approximately 1/4" slices. Lightly coat a baking sheet with canola or coconut oil spray. 

One by one, dip each Green Tomato slice in egg mixture, then into bread crumb mixture, coating both sides. Shake off excess, but keep well coated and place on the oiled baking sheet. Bake at 425 about 15-20 minutes, or until crumbs are beginning to brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

Assemblage:

On top of a baked green tomato, place a small dollop of goat cheese, then a slice of red tomato. Lightly sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Place another very small dollop of goat cheese* and then place 1/2 kalamata olive on top. Continue with the rest of the tomatoes, then when assembled on your serving tray, sprinkle dried basil and parsley over the whole tray. May be made ahead, refrigerated and brought out to room temp before serving.

*You may notice in the picture, that the olive is secured by a green dollop. Here at the beach, I made an Avocado/Spinach/Artichoke heart dip the night before, and used it to secure the olive. That recipe is not included as I really have to make it again before I can even remember everything that went into the bowl!

Ruckus - asst. mgr. at Cromwells

Spring Teaser...

A quick snap of some of the new test pieces out of the last kiln. A bad photo that hopefully speaks to my excitement about soon putting good, homemade foods in each. What would you put in them? Stay tuned, and soon you'll see all sorts of inspired dishes from very talented chefs and cooks. Guest Chef Series begins in April!

Mocha Stout Braised Bison Short Ribs

January went a lot faster than expected, so we're tip-toeing back a week or so to include this in our January 'eating seasonally' menus.


In our region, kale and other dark leafys are still found in season, along with sweet potatoes and winter squashes. Those have been the stars of January dishes, and for this we brought in some other local stars along with a few items out of the herb garden, and some stored away in the freezer and larder.  The ribs were served with Mocha Stout Braised Root Mash and Stout Sprouts - you can find both of those recipes at Crazy Green Studios' Recipe link (where more homemade always tastes better on handmade!) - they'll be added here as soon as time permits.

Mocha Stout Braised Bison Short Ribs


Preheat oven to 250


the rub:
2 cloves garlic, chopped
small handful fresh thyme leaves
1 medium shallot bulb, chopped
salt, fresh ground pepper
olive oil


mix rub ingredients together, using enough oil to bind them.


6 Carolina Bison short ribs


If ribs are frozen, thaw them completely in the fridge. When thawed, drizzle a bit of olive oil on all sides, then put the rub on, all over. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so to reach room temp.


Heat oil in oven-ready saucepan big enough to hold ribs without crowding. Brown all sides of the ribs in batches and remove to a plate.

1 shallot, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

olive oil

salt/pepper

1 cup Highland Black Mocha Stout

1 cup veggie stock or broth

3 whole garlic cloves

2 large shallot bulbs, cut into 2-3 pieces

1 carrot, cut in half and in 1-inch pieces

Add shallot/garlic/carrot with more oil if necessary and quickly saute until soft. Deglaze the pan with a little of the Mocha Stout, scraping up all the goodness from the bottom of the pan and mix it all in well. Add the ribs, bone side up, back to the pan and cover with the rest of the mocha stout and the broth/stock. Toss in the garlic heads, shallot, and carrot pieces. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover and put the pan in the preheated oven for a nice, aroma-filled 3-4 hours. 


Check it at 3 hours - if it's not falling off the bone, let it go longer. When done, remove the ribs to a plate. If the braising liquid has mostly cooked off, add a touch of stock and immersion blend it into a nice, thick gravy.

Call for Seasonal Recipes!

Happy week before the New Year, sexy food folks!  Looking ahead to the coming flip of the calendar always has us thinking about priorities and intentions. We don't do the whole 'resolution' thing, because we really feel every day should start with resolve to make the best choices and live the best life possible. 


We do set priorities and intentions for a variety of day to day fun, and our big intention for the New Year is to develop the Sexy Food "Homemade Tastes Better on Handmade" Calendar for 2013. You're invited to help by submitting your favorite seasonal recipe - here's how it works:

Each month, I'll write up a little something about what's in season near me (I'm in western North Carolina), and will feature a recipe for at least one seasonal ingredient. You're invited to join in - if you're in this region, well then you'll find head start info here. If you're in another area, we'd love for you to share a little something about what's seasonal where you are, and offer up a recipe that you enjoy. Pictures are even better! If you also enjoy eating and serving your delicious homemade fare on handmade pottery, send us those images too and be sure to credit the cook as well as the potter (and photographer too)! You can write the whole post up and send it to us with images, and we'll post as many as we can, in the order they arrive. We'll be working on the calendar throughout next year, and while the print version of the calendar will likely feature recipes that are regional to NW North Carolina, if we get a big enough response, we'll do multiple versions, and of course we'll feature many more here on the blog.

If you're in this area, you can find a list of what's locally seasonal via the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, or if you're outside this area you can check the right-hand column next to our posts, where you'll find a link that will help you learn what's seasonal in your area throughout the year. In that same column you'll also find details on how to submit content for the blog.


Easy-peasy, right? We'll get started here right after the first of the year, but if you're in this area here's a head start with a list of what's in season in western North Carolina in January: 


apples
greenhouse tomatoes
greenhouse vegetables
leeks
potatoes
pumpkins
sweet potatoes
winter squash


Let the cooking begin!