Fried Green Tomatoes with Lump Crab Meat

Fried green tomatoes are a staple in Southern kitchens.  But the way that I prepare my fried green tomatoes differs from the many others.  I like mine topped with diced, lime - garlic infused avocado, lump crab meat, and julienned radishes.  It's a great combination of tart, sweet, and crunchy!

Many friends of mine have beautiful vine - ripened tomatoes resting on their kitchen counters these days.  I actually found this tomato at The Fresh Market.  It's an heirloom tomato that looks just like the ones that my brother has harvested from his own garden.  It was green when I bought it, but it wasn't by the time that I got around to cooking it.  It was still a little underripe when I cooked it, though.  So it still works for this recipe.

My fried green tomatoes are dredged in beaten egg, then a panko parmesan mixture, then cooked in a pan with a small amount of olive oil and butter.  Is this why my sweet husband Jereme and daughters Gianna and Sasha constantly thank me for cooking them good food?  I couldn't ask for any better compliment!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium or large green or underripe tomato
• 2 cups of panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 avocado
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• Dash of garlic powder
• 1 small can of lump crab meat
• 2 medium or large radishes, juliened

Directions:

1. Slice the tomato about a half inch thick.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.
2. Combine the panko and parmesan.
3. Dredge the tomato in the egg, then the panko and parmesan mixture.  Coat both sides, then set inside the fridge to let it adhere well, about 10 minutes.
4. Heat a large skillet, then add the olive oil and butter. 
5. Cook the tomatoes about 3 minutes per side, then drain onto a paper towel.
6. Cut the avocado into little chunks.  Squeeze the lime juice over it, then season with salt and garlic powder.  Toss, then top the tomato with it, then add some crab meat and radish.

So good I took multiple pics!!

Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp

Prosciutto di Parma is one of my favorite things ever.  If I ever travelled to Italy, I would stop in Parma to eat this dry - cured ham which was fed the whey that was used to make Parmigiano - Reggiano, the best cheese ever, also made in Parma.  This is a great dish to have out for guests if you're entertaining, or as a starter for dinner.  It broils very quickly, so remember to stick pretty close by if you walk away.  Also always use wild - caught American shrimp.  The standards are better than those from other countries, and that way you're not eating outsourced food.  Eat local.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of wild caught American shrimp
• 12 oz. Prosciutto di Parma (Danielle brand is also good)
• Sweet Chili Sauce for dipping
• Chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tail intact.  Just above the tail, make 2 - 3 slices across the inside of the shrimp where the tail curls.  This helps keep it a little straighter.
2. Cut a prosciutto slice in half lengthwise, then wrap around the body of the shrimp.  Lay each piece onto the rack of a broiler pan.
3. Preheat broiler.  Lay the broiler pan onto the top rack of the oven closest to the broiler.
4. All ovens vary, but my oven directions say to leave the oven door open while broiling.  Not all the way open.  Just barely open,
5. The shrimp are ready in just 3 - 5 minutes, when the tails turn a deep color.

Pork Schnitzel

The word schnitzel is German for cutlet.  I personally think that the dish sounds much more elegant if  called Pork Cutlets with Cappellini and Baby Arugula........but it's a classic dish.  I wanted to have it on my blog.  It's kind of a funny name, though. 

My husband and I visited one of the coolest places I've ever been.  Harbor Town is a part of what's known as Mud Island in Memphis, Tennessee.  If you took Little Rock's Brodie Creek neighborhood filled with colonial style homes and added to it the "walkable" urban element of the River Market, then added to it the eclectic style of Hillcrest, then you would have this amazing community that we fell head over Louboutins with.  We were captivated by the lush landscaping, the grand porches, and the magnificent balconies overlooking the riverfront.

I found my new favorite progressive grocery store called Miss Cordelia's in Harbor Town.  You can also order from the counter and eat in if you'd like. 

Cordelia's was like Little Rock's Terry's Finer Foods.  They featured a lot of local products, an aspect that always gains my admiration.  I'm the type of shopper who loves to take my time, ooh and ahh at everything.  It's my favorite form of relaxation.  My husband, on the other hand, prefers to get in, grab what you need, and head out.  So as we discussed what we would make for dinner, I suggested a Milanese, which happened to be the very first post I ever made on this blog.  What caught Jereme's eye was a package of butterflied pork chops, so he handed it to me and said, "Here, make it with these."  So I made Pork Schnitzel.  See how similar the culinary cultures are?  I went from making an Italian dish to a German dish just by switching out the protein!

I started by cutting each butterflied pork chop in half, then I placed each half into a large plastic bag.  You can use a rolling pin or the heavy end of a knife sharpener to pound the pork to 1/4 inch or 1/8 inch thickness. 

Make a mixture of panko, parmesan, and chopped cilantro.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  Dredge the tenderized pork in egg, then the panko mixture, then let sit a minute.  Heat the pan with a little butter and extra virgin olive oil.

While the first 2 cutlets are cooking, dredge the other 2 cutlets, then let them sit in the panko mixture.  Cook each side 3 - 4 minutes each over medium high heat until they're done.  The schnitzel is delicious served with baby arugula, cappellini pasta, and More than Gourmet White Wine Sauce.  You can find the sauce at The Fresh Market.  Squeeze some lemon over everything on the plate, cut up the cutlet, and mix everything all together.

Ingredients:

• 2 thick pork chops, butterflied
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 cups of panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup of parmesan
• 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper 

Directions:

1. Cut each butterflied pork chop along the center to separate, then pound thinly inside a large plastic bag.
2. Mix the panko, parmesan, and cilantro, then season with salt and pepper.
3. Dredge the cutlet in a pan with the beaten egg, then dredge in the panko mixture to coat both sides.  Repeat with the second cutlet.
4. Heat a large pan with the butter and olive oil.  When hot, in about 5 minutes, add the cutlets.
5. While those cook, dredge the next 2 cutlets.
6. Cook the cappellini pasta - it takes only 2 minutes in boiling water.  Drain.
7. Warm up the white wine sauce.  Add some fresh lemon juice and a tablespoon of butter if you'd like.
8. Cook the cutlets 3 to 4 minutes per side, then drain on a paper towel.
9. Place everything on a plate together, and squeeze extra lemon or lime juice over the dish before enjoying. 

Chi - Little Rock - Roasted Duck

I love watching Luke's Vietnam on the Cooking Channel in the early mornings when the girls are still asleep.  This morning he was featuring some of Vietnam's most traditional dishes in the "Greater Hanoi" episode.  He was showing how they flavor a whole duck with aromatic lemongrass, ginger, and shallots, then they slow roast it over fire to achieve a crispy skin.  Our biggest celebrations and holidays in the Nguyen household almost always included crispy, roasted duck.  The problem was that you only got a small amount of meat around the bone - in pieces once the duck was chopped up and served on a platter.  Luckily I found the roasted duck served at Chi on their Traditional Chinese menu.  And....they had the boneless option!  This is one of the best things I have ever eaten at a restaurant!!

This is the half duck.  Be sure and ask for the boneless order.  It came with 6 of those pillowy soft steamed buns that if you're familiar with David Chang and his famous steamed buns, then you know that calling them pillowy soft is a cliche by now.  But they do melt in your mouth.  Another cliche, no wonder my Honors English professor gave me a B.  I'll rephrase.  The contrast of the crispy outer skin of the duck combined with the tender dark meat, the shredded scallions, and the fluffy buns lightly sweetened with hoisin makes every bite a great moment to realize that you're just lucky to be alive and lucky to have delicious food to enjoy!

It's a little confusing whether the place is called Chi or Chi's, but the food is so well worth exploring.  I always stick with the dim sum or the traditional Chinese menu.  But ask for all 3 and discover how many delicious dishes the restaurant is capable of making. 

Cajun Crab and Shrimp

There was a time that I made Crawfish Etouffee on a regular basis.  But after I read about sustainable, clean eating in Barton Seaver's book For Cod and Country, I started checking labels on everything that I bought to see where it had been farmed or caught.  In the past, it was convenient to buy a package of crawfish in the frozen section of the grocery store and throw it right in.  But now that I've been exposed to the potential of eating seafood from countries with lower standards, I've made it my standard to choose U.S. caught or farmed only.  So to recreate the flavors that I love in my old favorite Cajun dish, I decided to substitute wild - caught U.S. shrimp and canned crab.  Now if only I could remember if canned crab is okay....

Lately I've been lamenting the upcoming loss of my red kitchen.  You see, the house is on the market.  We're relocating soon to the Memphis area for my husband's job, and we're hoping to get moved in time for the girls to start school.  Last weekend, as I cooked in a friend's home in Germantown, I really started to miss my own kitchen.  I picked out every little thing in this custom - built home, and the details that I most specifically chose from the heart were in the kitchen.  I was much more particular about how I wanted things in that room.  More than in any other room.  I hope the buyers are deserving of my loss!

Anyway, I learned from a girl in my Communications department at UALR that when she used canned crab meat, she also added the liquid from the can for the extra flavor.  That was many years ago, but I've always been thankful for her tip!

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 8 oz. wild - caught American shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1 can of crab meat
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 1 tbsp cajun seasoning
• 2 green onions, diced
• garnish of 1 diced green onion, cilantro, and chopped white onion

Directions:

1. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat.  Add the butter and olive oil.
2. When the butter has melted, swirl the pan to evenly coat the bottom.
3. Add the bell pepper, then the green onions, then the cajun seasoning.
4. Cook until the bell pepper is soft, then add the canned crab meat with its juices.
5. When the ingredients are gently simmering, add the shrimp.  Lightly toss the shrimp until it is done.  This will take about 5 minutes.
6. Top with garnish, and serve alone or on top of rice or pasta.  Add more cajun seasoning if needed.