September 2009 Archives

Just as summer comes to an end so does the flow of juicy red ripe tomatoes from our backyard garden. And with September's shorter days and cooler temps... it's the green ones that survive long enough to make it inside... lots of them.

So now's the time to cook and eat fried green tomatoes any which way you can. One of our favorites... Oven-baked Macaroni with White Irish Cheddar and Fried Green Tomatoes with Chipotle Cream

Fried Green Tomatoes

For the green tomatoes...
Slice to 1/3 inch thickness and set aside

For the dredging...
Season a cup of flour with a tablespoon of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

For the dipping...
Beat 2-3 eggs with a splash of water

For the coating...
Season Panko breadcrumbs with a hint of cayenne

For the frying...
Heat enough canola oil to cover the bottom of a large fry pan until smoking. Turn heat down to medium. Carefully place prepared green tomatoes into the oil and fry each side until lightly browned. Drain on a platter lined with paper towels and keep warm until ready to serve.

Chipotle Cream

2-3 chipotle peppers from a can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
The juice of half a lime
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup mayonnaise
½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Sea salt
Freshly ground white pepper

In a mini food processor or blender, mix the above ingredients until pureed. Check for seasoning and set aside.

Oven-baked Macaroni with White Irish Cheddar

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Sauce:
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon Colman dry mustard
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups whole milk
½ pound coarsely grated white Irish Cheddar
1 pound elbow macaroni or penne

Topping:
1/4 stick unsalted butter
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 pound coarsely grated white Irish Cheddar
Melt butter, then stir together with breadcrumbs and cheese until combined. Set aside.

Make Macaroni:
Cook 1 pound dry macaroni or penne in a pasta pot of boiling salted water according to directions until al dente. Drain macaroni reserving ½ cup pasta water in case you need to thin your sauce a bit. Stir macaroni and sauce together in a large bowl. Set aside.

In the meantime...

Make Roux:
Melt butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour, pepper, salt, cayenne and the Colman's. Cook roux 2-3 minutes stirring all the while and then slowly add the milk. Stir sauce constantly until it begins to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese until melted through and smooth.

Transfer cooked macaroni and sauce mixture to a buttered casserole dish.
Sprinkle topping evenly over macaroni and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Serve hot out!