Fried Apples

Tags

apples, breakfast, fried, gluten free, side dish, Southern

Fried apples are a wonderful, traditional Southern dish. They are almost like pie filling, only better. Best made with a stronger flavored, tart apple, this dish can be made with even old wilty apples.

Fried Apples

• 5 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 3 tbsp butter or margarine
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In a skillet, melt the butter. Add in apples, brown sugar, and spices. Stir and combine well. Cook on medium heat until apples are softened but not mushy. Serve as a side dish or with breakfast.

Pan Fried Tilapia

Tags

fish, food, fried, Southern, tilapia

Many people batter their fish with heavy batters. Not our family. This cornmeal crust allows all the wonderful flavors and textures of a good white fish to shine through. No bulky, greasy batters for me.

Pan Fried Tilapia

• 6 fillets of tilapia or other delicate white fish
• 1 cup plain white cornmeal (NOT the mix!)
• Spices to taste (salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic, etc.)
• Oil for frying
• Cast Iron Skillet

On a plate, cover each side of the fish with a decent coating of the cornmeal and spices. Fry in hot oil until flaky. Serve with Black Pepper and Caper Tartar Sauce. Serves 4.

Japanese Fried Tofu

Tags

Asian, food, fried, Japanese, main, marinade, tofu, vegetarian

I need to incorporate more vegetable based proteins into my diet but I am hesitant because I love the flavor and texture of meat so much. Tofu has such a stigma. Bland, boring, crunchy, hippie food. This tofu changes that perception.

Marinaded and Fried Tofu (from Food52)

• 1 pound extra firm tofu
• 1/4 cup shiro miso paste (white miso)
• 1/4 cup ponzu sauce
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
• 1 1/2 tablespoon ginger paste
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Gently press the tofu to drain off the extra juice. Slice into 1 inch thick slices (I did cubes and they were way too small). In a ziplock bag, combine all the marinade ingredients. Add tofu and marinade for 24 to 48 hours. In a skillet, heat vegetable oil. Fry each slice until both sides are golden brown. Drain on a paper towel. Use on sandwiches, plain, or add to miso soup. Serves 3.

Fried Okra

Tags

fried, gardening, okra, Southern, vegetables

All batters should be made from cornmeal. Squash, fish, okra… You want to compliment the food, not overwhelm it with some heavy, greasy batter.  Simple is the best.

Fried Okra

• 3 cups fresh okra pods, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cornmeal (NOT cornmeal mix)
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• Vegetable oil for frying

Combine cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper in a ziploc bag. Add okra slices in batches, and toss to coat. Heat enough oil in a cast iron skillet to fry a batch of the okra.

When oil is hot, add okra in batches. I changed the oil between the batches to keep it from tasting burnt. Fry okra until brown on all sides, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Drain the okra on paper towels to get rid of the excess. Season to taste.

Country Fried Steak with Gravy

Tags

country, food, fried, Southern, steak

I was doing so good at this eating healthy thing. Then my brother-in-law brought some fresh green beans over. Of course, I had to make a pot of them. This requires me to use 2 slices of bacon and a good chunk of onion. MMM! Love me some country food. But since you can’t just eat green beans alone, I needed to fix something equally as tasty.

Enter from stage left- Country Fried Steak with Gravy. This is one of my favorite meals. It is especially awesome that the cut of meat is super cheap when compared to all other steaks.

There are so many ways people prepare this meal – soak the meat in buttermilk, pound thin, use egg, don’t use egg, use saltines (which I have done before and it works pretty good), batter one, batter twice. How is one to choose? I do this method because my mother makes it this way. Which makes it the best way.

Country Fried Steak with Gravy

• 1 lb round or cube steak (only difference is that the cube steak is more tenderized)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper to taste
• Vegetable oil
• 1 cup milk (keep it at hand as you might need more)

Use a meat mallet to tenderize the meat, if you think it needs more. I always tenderize more because the butcher never seems to get it just the way I like it. In a cast iron skillet, add the vegetable oil and turn on to medium heat. Combine the flour and spices. Dredge the steak through the flour mixture on both sides, making sure it is well covered. When the oil in the skillet is very hot (read: sizzles vigorously as soon as you add the meat), add in the steak. Fry until each side is golden brown and a crunchy crust has formed.

When you have fried all the steak, pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the oil left in the pan. Reserve the brown bits and crunchies; these add so much flavor to the gravy. Add the remaining flour from battering the steak to the oil. Allow to cook until the flour is golden brown (DO NOT BURN!!!). While the flour is browning, scrape the stuck bits off the bottle of the pan. When done browning, whisk in the milk until smooth. If the gravy is too thick, add milk. If too thin, allow to cook down a bit. This is not an exact science. Just keep a close eye on it. When you have reached the desired consistency, add salt and pepper to taste.