Fried Green Tomatoes

The most predictable weather in the States is in the Bay Area, California, in my opinion. The temperature is fairly stable and not much of a pattern. Hot in the summer and rainy in the winter. Lot of South Bay residents I know grow their own tomatoes. Our backyards are shaded by the number of fruit trees. I have figs and persimmons, nectarine and guava, and get to try our neighbor's plums, apples, apricot and lots of other fruits. Ah, the joys of California's weather. This year however, I got cough by surprise by the sudden coming of fall weather. Well, I knew that autumn was approaching, it just came to suddenly, and it feels like it got colder in a day, not gradually. I think my tomatoes got cough off guard, too. I doubt that any green tomatoes will get to ripen on he vine. Well, that should not be an obstacle to good food. I always thing of the movie when I cook this dish. There are a lot of versions of this simple yet delicious recipe on the net.

5 large green tomatoes thickly sliced

3 eggs

1/2 c milk

1 c flour

1 c bread crumbs or panko or corn flake crumbs, or a mix of any of those 

salt & black pepper

vegetable oil for frying

Optional favorite spices, like Italian seasoning ad Mrs Dash,  could be added to the flour. Sliced tomatoes are dredged in flour, then dipped in mixture of eggs and milk, then coated in bread crumbs and fried in oil. About 5 at a time are submerged half way in oil. Once one side is browned, the tomato slices are flipped over. That takes about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Place on the plate that is paper towel lined. I like to keep those worm in my toaster oven, they are better crunchy, so do not heat in the microwave.

Cauliflower in crumbs

I grew up eating cauliflower prepared this way and this  was one of my favorite dishes as a kid. It was fried and crunchy - what's not to love? I now cook it for the kids and steal few pieces of the pan as soon as it is done. It is an easy recipe to make.
1 cauliflower cut up in florets
1 egg
1/2-3/4 cup of bread crumbs or corn flake crumbs or a combo  of both
1 tsp of favorite seasoning Italian or herb de Provence
salt and pepper
oil for frying about 1/3 cup
Cut up the cauliflower  into florets and toss into boiling slightly salted water. Cook for about 3-5 min, it should still be firm and al dente. While the cauliflower is in the pot,  scramble the egg in the bowl. With a slotted spoon remove the florets from the water to  the bowl with eggs and stir to coat them in the egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and seasoning, then  add the crumbs to coat the florets, stirring and mixing to cover with crumbs somewhat evenly. This is not an easy task to accomplish, so not to worry, if it is not completely coated. Heat up a large frying pan with oil. The florets are thirsty for oil and will absorb a lot. Fry on a medium to high heat for another 5-7 min till cauliflower is tender if pierced with knife. I have used different seasonings for this dish, most anything goes well here, experiment away.

Stuffed Chicken Quarters

This recipe was inspired by Jewish dish called Helzel. The chicken skin is stuffed with fried in schmaltz onion and bread crumbs or matzo meal. This was a laborious dish but well received for Seder. I call it a cholesterol bomb, but I think everything is allowed in moderation, especially if it is only cooked once a year.
I removed skin of the chicken quarters, and extra chunk of fat that are always present on the quarters and set both aside. Then I took the bones out, creating one large rolled out piece of meat. The chicken fat was melted down in the  frying pan and one large chopped onion was fried in the oil. To it then about a cup of coarse matzo meal and matzo crumbs added. Not during Passover bread crumbs and ground corn flakes work really well. Once the crumbs got well coated in oil and mixed well with onion little water can be added to a consistency of cooked oatmeal. Salt, pepper, Mrs Dash or other your favorite spices can be added at this time. Once the stuffing is ready at 1-2 tblsp of it is placed in the inside part of the chicken. Then meat is folded and placed back inside the chicken skin, like in a sock. The seam is then pinned together with one or two toothpicks. Chicken quarters are placed seam down in a baking sheet and placed in the oven uncovered and baked at 350F for about 45 min or longer, that the skin turns golden brown and crispy.
10-12 chicken leg quarters
1 large onion
1-11/2 c coarse matzo meal and matzo crumbs or bread crumbs and ground corn flakes
about 1 c water