Mess of Greens

full bellies | warm welcomes

Tomatoes

Amped Up Tomato Gravy

by 2 Comments

Tomato Gravy is definitely a southern breakfast thing. I’ve seen it on country-style and rural greasy spoon restaurants ALLLL over, from North Carolina to New Orleans. But, the thing is, I rarely order it because lots of time it takes like Chef Boyardee or thicker V8 Juice. Do you know what I mean? There’s nothing wrong with that but honestly, I LOVE BISCUITS SO MUCH why would I eff up a perfectly good one with fake-tomato goop with butter and a little jam works like a charm.

I’ve been testing recipes out of John Currence’s Big Bad Breakfast cookbook lately that my wonderful Mama-in-law gave me for Christmas, and ALL of the things in there are good…but THIS ONE is probably my favorite. It mixes a creole/cajun roux with bacon grease, FRESH tomatoes and then I replaced dried thyme with fresh basil. It takes a little time, but since I had my biscuit dough in the freezer already from a previous batch it was worth the effort…especially since we had it for supper instead of breakfast. A side of bacon or ham, and Oooooweee!

But tell me..where’s YOUR favorite tomato gravy and what makes it the best? I’d love to have a list of where my next roadtrip breakfast should be!


Amped Up Tomato Gravy
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 5 Cups
What You Need
  • 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ Cup diced onion
  • 1 Tablespoon bacon grease
  • ¼ Cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 Cups cored, seeded, and dice tomatoes
  • salt and black pepper
  • 1 Cup canned crushed tomatoes
  • 4 leaves basil, minced
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1½ teaspoons lemon juice (fresh is best)
  • ½ Cup heavy cream
  • ¾ cup green onions, green part chopped only
What to Do
  1. Melt the butter in a saucepan
  2. Cook the onion until transparent
  3. Add the bacon grease/fat and cook until it melts.
  4. Put the flour in and whisk it constantly until a light golden roux forms. (I'm NOT an expert roux maker... my LSU grandmother and Louisiana aunt would frown if they knew). But this one is lighter and doesn't take so long(2 to 3 mins)...just get the flour lightly cooked.
  5. Stir in the fresh tomatoes, season with salt and pepper.
  6. Once the tomatoes begin to cook down, add the canned crushed tomatoes and the seasonings.
  7. Simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally until it thickens some.
  8. Once that happens, add the cream and lemon juice and simmer again, stirring it a lot until it thickens and "coats the back of a spoon".
  9. Take it off the heat and mix in the green onions.
  10. Serve over biscuits immediately, or keep it warm for a couple of hours over a double boiler.
  11. Die because it's so delicious.

 

From the Garden Summer Sub

by 1 Comment

My mama had about two things that if they were on a menu, she’d order them without even thinking about it. One was a Reuben, and the other was eggplant ANYTHING.

This year, I grew mama some in my garden…but now she’s not here to enjoy it with me. If she were here, I’d make her this sandwich combining eggplant with all the other things growing in abundance this time of year. I’d add in some creamy cheese, lots of basil, and toasted french bread and together we’d get our faces covered in red sauce, cheese, and summertime.

This isn’t totally my recipe… it’s a riff on my very first food blogger crush, Smitten Kitchen’s ratatouille sub..but focuses exclusively on what grows in my vegetable & herb garden and uses different cheese and spices. As it turns out, no matter how much I like an original recipe, I inherited my dad’s inability to follow one to the letter (well, we CAN do it…but we just always seem to want to do it just a little bit differently to see what happens). It drove my Mama crazy.

Anyway, I’ve been making this sandwich every summer for years with multiple variations–usually about July when we find ourselves elbow deep in homegrown eggplant, zucchini, summer squash and tomatoes—I think it tastes like summer on bread.

Got a plethora of summer garden vegetables? Looking to TASTE summertime? Love eggplant like Mama? This is your gooey, summery, fresh supper tonight (and then lunch again tomorrow!) OR a super easy and divine summer meal for when your friends come over and rather than slave in the kitchen getting everything put together you just want to  watch the kids play and drink G&Ts.

 

From the Garden Summer Sub
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Sandwich
Serves: 4-8
What You Need
  • FOR THE SUB FILLING
  • 1-2 thin Eggplant (I'm growing the Japanese kind) cut into thin rounds and halved if they are large
  • 2-3 Summer Squash, cut into thin rounds and halved if they are large
  • 1-2 Zucchini, cut into thin rounds and halved if they are large
  • 3 small Tomatoes, cut into rounds
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 5 Basil Leaves, chiffonaded
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Oregano
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • FOR THE SANDWICH
  • Burrata Cheese
  • Basil leaves, chiffonaded
  • Salt, Pepper to taste
  • 1-2 Large French Bread loaves, toasted and halved (or quartered)
What to Do
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
  2. Cut up the vegetables.
  3. In a baking dish (ideally round), spread the tomato sauce, stir in the minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, a few pinches of salt and red pepper flakes to taste.
  4. Arrange the slices of eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes so that they overlap.
  5. Drizzle the remaining olive oil, another layer of tomato sauce, and basil & oregano.
  6. Bake for 1 hour.
  7. Split the sub rolls and warm up for 5 minutes in the oven or bake according to package directions.
  8. Once the bread is ready, layer the vegetables on top of your rolls, spread the cheese, and sprinkle salt & pepper and basil.

 

Easy, Crispy Fried Green Tomatoes

by Leave a Comment

IMG_3284

“Remember if people talk behind your back, it only means you are two steps ahead.” -Fannie Flagg, from Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
Chefs and Food people get super excited about things like squash blossoms and green tomatoes, but honestly, it’s really hard for me to pick something from my own garden before it’s totally ripe. ESPECIALLY homegrown summer tomatoes. I just can’t stand the thought of not getting to enjoy them all fully ripened and sweet and juicy.

BUT, sometime around late August, it becomes harder and harder to get fruit from my vines that haven’t been sucked by bugs or withered by heat. That’s when I start picking them early and making relishes and salads, and fried green tomatoes. I’ve tried LOTS of recipes, but my dad’s really easy, super crispy take is the best one I’ve come across. Pair it with Comeback sauce, and well, you’ve got a truly excellent dish that you’ll want to share.

…

Read More »

Roasted Summer Tomato Soup, OR Papa al Pomodoro, Southern Style

by Leave a Comment

IMG_3481

Well lovelies, it’s the tail end of tomato season in south Mississippi, which is making me act a lot like Gollum in The Lord of the Rings about each and every plump bright red orb that comes off my vines.

There’s really nothing better than the acidity and sweetness of a ripe summer tomato, and sometimes you want something other than a BLT or caprese salad, ammIright?

…

Read More »

Tupelo Honey (upside down) Tomato Pie

by Leave a Comment


We’d had a summer vacation planned to Holland and Belgium for several months (one of my bestest college friends was tying the knot!) but some family things got in the way of our trip. Instead, we took our little man to see his grandparents in NC and took a two-night trip to Asheville. We ended up brunching at Asheville’s pretty amazing spot, Tupelo Honey (people say it put Asheville on the southern food map) and I pretty much wanted to inhale everything on the menu. When we got home, I thought I’d try to make one of the things I didn’t get to eat while there…and it was worth it. so worth it, especially with my bumper crop of summer tomatoes. It’s august, which means the tomatoes will be running dry soon, so if I were you I’d make it before it’s too late and you have to wait until NEXT summer….

…

Read More »

Tradition to Adopt: Stewed Okra and Tomatoes as a Thanksgiving side

by Leave a Comment

Its about time for me to share this recipe… although I made it back in early September with a HUGE, gigantic sack of okra a friend brought to us and the last of our garden’s tomatoes, it really would be a DELICIOUS Thanksgiving side dish. Also, most recipes I found call for frozen okra and canned tomatoes, so you really can make this year-round.

I’ve always thought of Thanksgiving as an important holiday for Americans to celebrate our “meltingpot” cultural heritage, and okra is an amazing food that does just that. Originating in modern-day Ethiopia, okra was most likely brought to our country by enslaved Africans (like most delicious southern food). It’s also called “gumbo” although it’s more likely that you’ve heard this word in context of soups thickened with okra rather than references to the vegetable itself. Aggie Horticulture writes of the name, “Both of these names are of African origin. ‘Gumbo’ is believed to be a corruption of a Portuguese corruption, quingombo, of the word quillobo, native name for the plant in the Congo and Angola area of Africa.” This dish definitely has its roots in the Cajun and Creole traditions of the south… plus, a version of stewed okra and tomatoes recipe found in Indian cuisine as well. What’s more meltingpot than a vegetable and recipe that immigrated to the US from multiple parts of the world? Definitely a contender for a new Thanksgiving side dish tradition.
Confession: Okra’s hairy-sliminess isn’t always palatable to me… but this recipe breaks down the okra and makes it a smooth texture, plus the flavor of it and the tomatoes comes out beautifully. My grandmother used to make this and for a long time it was the ONLY way I’d eat this vegetable.

…

Read More »

Lucky Soup with Black Eyed Peas, Greens, and Bacon

by Leave a Comment

 
By now, y’all know that I’m not going to let a New Year’s Day pass without eating Black eyed peas and greens in SOME form or fashion for luck and money in the New Year… I’ve made pickled peas, black eyed pea hummus, and this year, I combined the two good-luck foods with pork (a German good-luck food) into a spicy, warm soup. I had some friend over…one of whom asked, “wait, what’s the deal with this soup? is it really eaten for luck?”
This gave me the chance to explain what little I know about the peas… but thankfully I’d read this post about the history beforehand so I knew a little more than past years.
In short, the peas are tied to southern history… they were introduced to the south from West or North Africa and are an ancient food eaten on that continent and also across Asia. Either way you tell it, eating BEP on New Year’s Day dates back to the Civil War. Black eyed peas are undoubtedly an important ingredient in some soul-food dishes, so while there are multiple stories about WHY we eat the peas (from the White Southern Community AND the African American Southern community) exist, I think that the history of BEP as a soul-food staple gives credence to that legend. The way the history goes, the only thing many slaves had to eat on the first day of January were these peas because they were one of the few crops left in the winter fields since the Union armies and Slave-owners thought of them as livestock feed. That day in 1863,  the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, outlawing slavery and these peas were consumed. From then on, they’ve been considered good luck for the future.
Thinking that BEPs are tied not only to good luck but also to a major milestone for freedom and justice in our country makes me even more committed to eating them and looking ahead on the year and what it can bring! Read on for yet another way to have your luck (and for a generally warm, hearty soup for winter time!)
Lucky Soup
What you need:
1 bag  of dried black eyed peas soaked overnight (or 2-3 cans)
4-6 Cups of washed and chopped greens like turnip or/and kale
one jalepeno, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 green pepper, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
3-5 strips of bacon
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
salt, pepper
1 /2 Tablespoon of ground thyme
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
Optional: A splash or two of red wine or balsamic vinegar

 

What to Do:
If you’re using dried black eyed peas, the first step begins the night before you plan to make the soup…dump the peas out and sift through them for any beans that have been eaten through or are a darker or redder brown… i don’t think they’ll hurt you  but it’s better to get rid of them in the beginning. Once that’s done, rinse them in a collander and then soak the dried peas in enough water to cover them and then a little bit more. The peas will soak up the water and hydrate, making them soft enough to cook and eat. If you use canned or frozen peas you can skip both of these first steps… and if you forget (heaven forbid!) to overnight soak your peas, then you can do a “quick soak” by putting them in a pot of salted, boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Honestly, I worried that I hadn’t used enough water in my overnight soak, so I did about a 2 minute boil of the peas anyway… the “quick soak” method doesn’t really hurt anything, BUT, beware, it does mean that you’ll end up with more half-peas or peas without the thin casing that holds the two halved together since the boiling water tends to rub that off more easily.
Once your peas are softened or softening, it’s time to cook the bacon! Pork has some sort of lucky significance for Germans, plus bacon just goes SO WELL with peas and turnip greens that it makes sense that we’d cook our veggies in all that flavor. Put the bacon in your pot and cook until brown…
While that’s happening, take the time to dice up your vegetables. Celery, onion, garlic, green bell pepper, and jalepeno pepper were what I used, but you could substitute red bell pepper and chipotle pepper if you wanted a litte bit different look and flavor here..

TIP:  did you know that whole jalepeno peppers freeze really well? If your garden grows more than you can handle, or you just accidentally buy too many at the store, you can drop them in a plastic bag and freeze them until you need them! These came from my aunt’s garden, and thanks to her I have all the peppers I need for a year!

 

Ok, so your veggies are chopped and your bacon has crisped in the pot. Take the bacon out and put it on a paper towel to cool for a bit. Then, dump in your onions into the bacon grease in the bottom of your pot and cook until their translucent.

Add in the garlic and cook briefly until tender, then add in the other diced vegetables. Stir them and cook them until they are a little tender and add in your salt, pepper, thyme, and red pepper flakes. (I gave my approximate seasoning measures above, but I was being conservative this time. feel free to liberally season this soup to your liking!)

Add in your peas, your canned tomatoes and tomato paste.

While that’s all simmering a bit, you’ll want to prepare your greens if you haven’t already.

TIP: I like to clean mine ahead of time and then store them after rinsing them and pulling the leaves off of the stalks (because those kale and turnip green stalks can be TOUGH) in a damp paper towel in a large zip-lock bag. This keeps the greens from wilting and can keep greens (and lettuces, too) fresh for nearly a week. If you haven’t prepped your greens in advance, rinse them thoroughly and pull the leaves from the stalk, then chop or rip up the greens into smaller pieces.

Dump those into the pot (and if you’re adding vinegar or wine, now is the time to do it) and stir around until everything’s all mixed together and let simmer on low for at least one hour so all the flavors mix together. I cooked mine for about 1.5 hours, then let it sit for another 2 hours, then reheated it and tasted for salt and pepper.

 

Serve it with bread and a side salad and you’ve got LUCK for the whole year! Happy new Year!

The Basic Bloody Mary

by Leave a Comment

 

I love, love, love day drinking. not day drunkenness, but you know, a beer at an afternoon BBQ, a mimosa at a girls’ morning out, and definitely, definitely, a bloody mary with brunch. I’ve made them all kinds of ways…with just tomato juice and then with mixes, with lots of condiments…with differne brands and types of vodka…..and really, I’ve never had a bad one as long as it had enough spicy kick and vodka.

The most recent version I made for some pals who spent the night after my 30th birthday bash (Top 40 karaoke! a dinner party! cocktails!)  involved Cat Head vodka, a local Mississippi vodka that donates $1 of every bottle to live music, V8 Juice, pickles, sriracha, lime juice, and woschester. pretty good. Seriously, you can make them so many ways depending on your taste, but this recipe is a good place to start as you test out your own favorite combination.

What You Need
Makes one 1 large or 2 small Bloody Marys.

1-2 oz of Vodka (Cat Head is a GREAT choice!)
1-2 cups of classic or reduced sodium V8 juice. I’ve used regular and off-brand and plain tomato juice often, but it just takes more seasoning. You can go this route, but double the salt and other seasonings for the right kick)
3 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 small squirt Sriracha (an asian hot sauce)
1 dash Woschester Sauce
3 teaspoons Black pepper
2 dashes Soy Sauce
1 Small pickle
1 celery stick
1 lime wedge

What to Do:
Mix all of these ingredients, taste it for salt and spice, and garnish with the pickels, lime wedge, and celery. If it’s not spicy enough, add in more tabasco and soy. Drink with reckless abandon.

Want more versions? I recommend Garden and Gun’s recent article “How to Build a Bloody Mary Bar”

 

 

BLT salad

by 2 Comments

this morning we got up early-ish and went in search of the nearest farmer’s market. we’ve been out of town a bunch so we thought we could get to know our new corner of the delta a little better.
we went the wrong directions and then made it back to greenville for their market just in time to buy some beautiful cherry and pear tomatoes, some speckled butter beans, and lady peas.
the tomatoes were too small for a BLT sandwich, so tonight for dinner we made the next best thing… a BLT salad. 😉 something about the lemon juice, garlic, and mayonnaise in the dressing was the perfect combination… boone had thirds. if you find yourself wanting something easy and summery, this adaptation of a southern living recipe might be just the ticket.

What you Need:
1.5 quarts cherry, pear, or other tiny tomatoes
1/4 Cup hellman’s mayonnaise (don’t you dare substitute with ANYTHING but homemade)
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper
1 garlic clove
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 head of green leaf lettuce
What to Do:
first, slice your the tomatoes in half, lengthwise using a serrated knife. if you don’t have a tomato knife, you should seriously consider investing in one since it makes things in summertime so. much. better. truly…how did i live without this thing?

 

crush the garlic into a paste, and slice the onions into thin ribbons. cook the bacon in a skillet until it’s crispy and brown. Once the bacon is ready, drain it using paper towels. Now comes the healthiest part…cook the onions in the bacon drippings until they’re translucent. i know… my weight watchers’ commitment isn’t looking so good right now. don’t judge me. 😉

mash the garlic clove into a paste using the flat side of a knife or a garlic press. combine with the mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and lemon juice to make the tangy dressing.

 

combine the bacon, lettuce, onions, and tomatoes, then mix in the dressing. voila! a light, delishy summer salad.

 

 

Tomato and Watermelon Sorbet

by Leave a Comment

we went down to vicksburg, ms for the fourth to see some sweet friends, watch fireworks over the river and remember what it feels like to drive on hills. while we were there, our host, James, took us to The Tomato Place, a delicious little hole in the wall sandwich shop and produce stand. LOVED it.  while we were there i decided we HAD to have a smith county watermelon, because every self respecting girl in four states knows that THE BEST watermelons come from there. Somehow we ended up with the biggest darn watermelon in the history of the world (maybe my eyes were bigger than my stomach) and after hacking into it, eating as much as we could for dessert, and then breakfast, and then dessert again, and THEN making watermelon margaritas and STILL having two bowls of leftovers, we had to do something. On top of that, I’ve been buying up locally grown tomatoes like they’re going out of style, and boone had reached maximum capacity for BLTs, and I couldn’t just let the beauties rot.
enter the tomato-watermelon sorbet. since it’s been SO HOT down here, a little refreshing frozen dessert seemed just like the thing we needed…and since i’ve been WAY off my weight watchers commitment, i needed to stay as low-cal as possible. I found this recipe in Southern Living and Cooks Corner Cafe and thought i’d give it a try.

Tomato-Watermelon Sorbet.

Serving Size: 8-12
Weight watchers points: 1

What you need:
3 ripe tomatoes (homegrown or locally grown is best) enough to make 1.5 cups of juice
1/4 to 1/2 ripe watermelon cut into pieces and de-seeded (enough for 6 cups)
1 lemon for 2 tablespoons of juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup stevia (or white sugar)
an ice cream maker and blender

What to do:
first, a note. this is a SUPER fresh tasting, fresh smelling treat. My version ended up having a really strong tomato taste at the beginning, then finishing with a light, sweet watermelon flavor. when I make this again, I plan to cut the tomato juice down my half since it was a little too much for me. Just a thought.

ok, to the recipe. after you’ve cut up the watermelon (we got home and did this within 15 minutes… i was too greedy to take photos of the whole melon… sigh) dust it with the 1/4 tsp of salt and the stevia. let it sit for 30 minutes. the watermelon will reduce a bit and get really juicy.

cut the tomatoes into quarters (i recommend cutting the skin off, as well.) and juice them using a wire mesh strainer over a measuring cup.with 2.5 tomatoes (although we had too many i just couldn’t spare them) i got almost 1.5 cups of juice. like I said, this may have been a little too much for my taste, but the original recipe called for 3 cups of tomato juice and 6 cups of watermelon, so maybe not.

 

Pour the lemon and tomato juices into a blender with the watermelon and puree until smooth. Freeze in an ice cream maker and serve! 🙂 Southern Living says you can even sprinkle a little salt on it…but i’d eat it just like this on a hot, hot, hot july day. 🙂