Farmers markets, pork tenderloin and fried green tomatoes

Soon to be fried (heirloom) green tomatoes

There is no excuse for Southern cuisine to be so heavy on the deep-fried or processed (pimento cheese ball, anyone?). With such rich soil and a growing season that won’t quit, local farmers markets are bursting with plump tomatoes, crisp green okra (or purple), tender peaches and heavy watermelons. We finally traveled to the state-run farmers market, down in the Triad. It was like a state fair farmers market – four big buildings bustling with vendors. I’ve seen nothing like it in the Northwest (it puts Seattle to shame).

Needless to say, we went a little tomato-crazy. I’ve never seen so many tomatoes in my life! The heirloom variety, from deep purple to striped yellow to rainbow, cost only $1 per pound at the Winston-Salem farmers market (our first stop). And green tomatoes – those that I never, ever find in the NW – were five for $1. We didn’t resist.

I did, however, resist the temptation to buy some beautiful potted plants at the Triad farmers market. The gardenias smelled like heaven and the fig trees would have looked perfect on my patio – and they even had tiny figs growing on them! $15 for a fig tree? That’s like a grocery expense! But alas…

We now have this fruit bowl to work with while we look for more tomato recipes (Jesse already made his salsa)…

I did buy the remaining ingredients for tonight’s dinner: chili-rubbed pork tenderloin with mango relish. It’s from – you guessed it – Cook’s Illustrated “Cooking for Two.” I love the idea of rubbing the inexpensive pork tenderloin with chili powder and natural cocoa powder, searing it and then roasting it in the oven. The sear/roast method is my favorite way to cook pork. The recipe turned out a pretty perfect tenderloin, and the mango relish was spicy and the perfect accompaniment to the pork (pork loves sweet things).

Jesse said this is the best pork dish he’s had in a long time. I’ll post the recipe and then get on to the fried green tomatoes…

Ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin, about 12 oz.

2 tps. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cocoa powder

table salt

1 tsp. vegetable oil

1 mango, peeled, pitted and chopped into small chunks

2 T chopped cilantro

1 T lime juice

1 shallot, minced

1 tsp. minced jalapeno, seeded, about 1/2 a jalapeno

Preheat oven to 425. Pat pork dry. In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cocoa and 1/4 tsp. salt, then rub it all over the pork.

Heat oil in ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Brown tenderloin on all sides, reducing heat if the spices start to burn. This will take about 6 min. total and the pork will look almost black. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the internal temp. is 140 degrees, about 15 min.

Once done, tent the pork with foil for another 10 min and it will be perfect.

Meanwhile, make the relish: combine the mango, cilantro, lime, shallot, jalapeno and 1/8 tsp. salt in a bowl. Once you’ve sliced the pork, spoon over the relish. The juices will mingle with the pork for a wonderfully complex flavor. The pork will be so tender, you can cut it with your fork!

Now, for the reason you’re all here: fried green tomatoes. I used the recipe form Simply Recipes.

All you do is slice the tomatoes thick (but not too thick, or they won’t be softened enough when you cook them – no more than 1/2 an inch). Season them with S&P and let them sit 15 min. Then, heat 1/4 c. EVOO in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Get 4 bowls ready: 1/2 c. milk, 1 c. flour, 2 eggs lightly beaten, 1 c. bread crumbs (or corn meal). Dip each slice sequentially: milk, flour, egg, and finally crumbs. Then, put them in the oil and brown on both sides. Transfer to paper towels to drain. When all are done, sprinkle them with a little more salt, to taste.

Now, I was going to make a chipotle aioli to go with these, because that’s how I’ve seen it in the restaurants. But it really didn’t need it. The tomatoes were juicy enough on their own, and who needs the extra fat? These were really delicious, even if I did slice mine a little too thick. What a wonderful Southern invention. Perhaps serve yours with some hot sauce on the side.

Enjoy, friends!

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If it exists, fry it

Whooee! We just got back from an exciting week with 13 family members in a beach house near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was beautiful – sunsets, palm trees, sand that feels like flour and lots and lots of good food. We cooked in and ate out and we never went to bed hungry (or sober).

Our first night, we ate at the Inlet Crab House, which specializes in fresh seafood caught off the Atlantic Coast and then fried. We ordered the oyster shooters to start, of course:

Feeling festive, both Jesse and I ordered the softshell crab for our entrees:

Mine came in a sandwich, with a side of coleslaw and Southern green beans (read: overcooked). It was tasty, but once I cut it open and saw all the yellow guts inside the crab, it didn’t have the same appeal that it used to. I think my Spider Roll ordering days are over.

A couple nights later, we dined at a fabulously upscale restaurant, where each plate had no less than one pound of seafood. I ordered the “grill plate,” which included grilled shrimp and scallops and a baked potato. The shrimp were seasoned well, smoky and sweet and spicy, and I loved the clarified butter for dipping. At that point, this was my favorite dish of the week. A-mazing.

We had a cookout later in the week, which included a trip to the fish market for 3 pounds of fresh shrimp. We took them home and boiled them with “shrimp oil,” which is actually a seasoning packet, and lemon. Then, we had to hand-peel and de-vein them.

These later turned into Jesse’s dad’s avocado stuffed with shrimp and mango-chili salsa, which is just as delicious as it sounds.

With that, we had Merissa’s fabulous chicken and sausage gumbo, which took her like 30 hours to prepare. I’m not going to post the recipe yet, because I want to try it myself first. Good thing I don’t have a day job!

She also made some perfect cornbread to go with it, and a honey butter to smear all over it.

Colleen made a yummy Smitten Kitchen dish later that week: an ice-box “cake,” which tasted like a giant Oreo cookie. She baked these chocolate cookies (basically home-made Oreos), then layered them with hand-whipped cream and sliced strawberries.

Then, you let it sit for a few hours, so the cookies can absorb the juices and become soft, like cake. Surprisingly good.

The last night, I was so overwhelmed with good food that I didn’t take any pictures – Blast! But here’s what we had: oyster shooters, She Crab Soup (a Carolina favorite), shrimp with grits cakes in a yummy bacon-gravy (this was my favorite thing of the night) and my entree was a pasta with fresh clams, white white and garlic. Yum! We drank a lot, laughed a lot and splurged. It was the perfect ending.

While on vacation, I read “Julie and Julia,” which I have a few opinions about. (As my co-worker said, “I’m just mad that I didn’t think of that first!”) The food stuff was good, but I could do without the rest of the whiny drama. It definitely inspired me to “cook dangerously.” So I picked up my new Bon Appetit magazine and turned down the pages of these recipes that would normally seem too gourmet for me. Like de-boning a chicken for an Italian roast chicken with fresh herbs and lemon. I’ll blog it as soon as I can make it!

Enjoy the week, friends!