Tomatillos!!!
I guarantee this appetizer will go over like gangbusters. It's one of the most delicious things I've ever made... This came from and idea in my head and came to fruition on the fly as do most of my culinary creations... Read to the end. It's worth it...
I wanted an app to go with shrimp&grits. I was thinking keep it Low Country. I picked up some fresh made pimento cheese from the Butcher's Market yesterday. As I was unpacking the groceries I noticed a bowl of tomatillos I had left from salsa verde and it hit me. Fried green tomatoes with tomatillos. They are tender and sweet when cooked, but have enough meat to hold together like a green tomato. The advantage is they are small and therefore bite sized. much easier to handle than big slices of tomato. Just like that the perfect complimentary appetizer was born...
My twist on Fried Green Tomatoes...
Ingredients:
-Tomatillos (leaves removed, washed)
-Pimento Cheese
-Green onion
-Sun-dried tomato
-Breading/batter
-Canola oil
My Quick Batter:
-Flour( I use Krusteaz gluten free flour)
-Masa(corn flour)
-Onion powder
-Garlic powder
-Kosher salt
-Black pepper
-Dried parsley
-Ice water
Directions:
-You want bite sized portions. So, use smallish tomatillos. About 2-2 1/2" in diameter or so. Peel the leaves off and wash/dry. Slice them about a quarter inch thick. Set aside.
-Take two small spoons and make little quenelles of the pimento cheese and place on a piece of wax paper.
-Cut a couple stalks of green onion on a 45° fairly fine. Set aside.
-Drain a couple sun-dried tomatoes and slice into thin small strips. Set aside.
-Heat an inch or two of canola oil in a small pot. When the oil starts to shimmer it's ready.
-While your oil is heating, make your batter. In a mixing bowl add 1 cup flour and 1 cup masa. Blend in a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and a good full teaspoon of the listed herbs/spices. This will make way more batter than you need most likely. The extra can be stored for the next time. Add an appropriate amount of batter mix for your needs to a bowl. Add ice cold water a little at a time until you have a nice wet batter that's pasty enough to brush on.
-Take sliced tomatillos and dredge in batter mix. I kind of brush it on with a small spatula. You don't need 100% coverage. It's ok if the you can see a little green showing through the side for example. You don't want the batter too thick. A nice even coat will yield better results.
-Drop them into the oil carefully as you coat them. They should be well covered by the oil. Have a tool at the ready to flip/remove them. I use metal tongs, but a skimmer would work too. Let them fry for a minute or so then flip them over so they cook evenly. When they are light golden brown with some slightly darker bits, transfer to a paper towel to drain.
-Assemble the canapes... Take a fried tomatillo and place a quenelle of pimento cheese on top. Then lay a strip of the sun-dried tomato across the quenelle and top with a few pieces of the chopped green onion. If you're feeling froggy, a drop of habeñero hot sauce on top is a nice touch.
-Serve hot and enjoy.
...
I guarantee this appetizer will go over like gangbusters. It's one of the most delicious things I've ever made... This came from and idea in my head and came to fruition on the fly as do most of my culinary creations... Read to the end. It's worth it...
I wanted an app to go with shrimp&grits. I was thinking keep it Low Country. I picked up some fresh made pimento cheese from the Butcher's Market yesterday. As I was unpacking the groceries I noticed a bowl of tomatillos I had left from salsa verde and it hit me. Fried green tomatoes with tomatillos. They are tender and sweet when cooked, but have enough meat to hold together like a green tomato. The advantage is they are small and therefore bite sized. much easier to handle than big slices of tomato. Just like that the perfect complimentary appetizer was born...
My twist on Fried Green Tomatoes...
Ingredients:
-Tomatillos (leaves removed, washed)
-Pimento Cheese
-Green onion
-Sun-dried tomato
-Breading/batter
-Canola oil
My Quick Batter:
-Flour( I use Krusteaz gluten free flour)
-Masa(corn flour)
-Onion powder
-Garlic powder
-Kosher salt
-Black pepper
-Dried parsley
-Ice water
Directions:
-You want bite sized portions. So, use smallish tomatillos. About 2-2 1/2" in diameter or so. Peel the leaves off and wash/dry. Slice them about a quarter inch thick. Set aside.
-Take two small spoons and make little quenelles of the pimento cheese and place on a piece of wax paper.
-Cut a couple stalks of green onion on a 45° fairly fine. Set aside.
-Drain a couple sun-dried tomatoes and slice into thin small strips. Set aside.
-Heat an inch or two of canola oil in a small pot. When the oil starts to shimmer it's ready.
-While your oil is heating, make your batter. In a mixing bowl add 1 cup flour and 1 cup masa. Blend in a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and a good full teaspoon of the listed herbs/spices. This will make way more batter than you need most likely. The extra can be stored for the next time. Add an appropriate amount of batter mix for your needs to a bowl. Add ice cold water a little at a time until you have a nice wet batter that's pasty enough to brush on.
-Take sliced tomatillos and dredge in batter mix. I kind of brush it on with a small spatula. You don't need 100% coverage. It's ok if the you can see a little green showing through the side for example. You don't want the batter too thick. A nice even coat will yield better results.
-Drop them into the oil carefully as you coat them. They should be well covered by the oil. Have a tool at the ready to flip/remove them. I use metal tongs, but a skimmer would work too. Let them fry for a minute or so then flip them over so they cook evenly. When they are light golden brown with some slightly darker bits, transfer to a paper towel to drain.
-Assemble the canapes... Take a fried tomatillo and place a quenelle of pimento cheese on top. Then lay a strip of the sun-dried tomato across the quenelle and top with a few pieces of the chopped green onion. If you're feeling froggy, a drop of habeñero hot sauce on top is a nice touch.
-Serve hot and enjoy.
...
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