Tag: pork

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3

Soooo My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is not the best film. I understand the 27% critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes. However, I also understand the 73% Audience Score. Because this is the type of movie you can enjoy while acknowledging its faults! Plus, it’s 

The Sandlot

The Sandlot

The Sandlot– a perfect movie for when it’s too hot to go outside and all you want is baseball themed junk food. If I can’t be as active as I was when I was a kid, at least I can still eat like one? I 

Chef

Chef

Get ready to salivate– Chef is one of those foodie films that opens with food, closes with food, and has all the cooking, plating, and eating you could want in between. 

A 2014 indie darling by Jon Favreau, Chef follows Carl Casper, a high-end LA chef who is stuck in a big fat rut. He’s divorced and phoning it in as a dad, his restaurant owner (Dustin Hoffman) won’t let him cook what he wants, and now a critic (Oliver Platt) is on the way to crush what little self-esteem he has left. But honestly, thank the food gods, because at the beginning of the film Chef Casper is kind of an arrogant asshole in need of constant validation (Is it good? It’s nice right? Tell me the truth. Good seasoning? Too much heat? Like it? Ugh…). 

After a big old temper tantrum that costs him his job, Carl is forced to reevaluate, and eventually rediscovers his culinary identity on the road with his son Percy and best friend/line cook Martin (John Leguizamo)– cooking delicious Cuban food out of a rehabilitated food truck and (thanks to Percy) crushing social media. All in, it’s an uplifting travelogue that features fun cities, excellent music, and lots of male bonding. We’ll forget for a second that that the movie is also Jon Favreau’s wet dream (his ex-wife is Sofia Vergara and he’s currently sleeping with Scarlett Johansson? )– consultant Chef Roy Choi’s on-screen creations compensate for any and all minor predictability in the plot.

Oh and the acting is great too. (But really, it’s the food.)

Below you’ll find all of the recipes I could fit in to a single photo for a Chef themed movie menu. There are so many more that I wanted to try, but I think I got the greatest hits (with a few fusion-y twists). Empingao baby– this is it!

 

The Movie

 

The Menu

cocky rooster cocktail

The Cocky Rooster

Yield: 3
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

Nothing like a cold beer (cocktail) after a long day of hard work-- just ask Carl, Martin, and Carl's underage son Percy.

Technically this recipe comes from An Choi, a banh mi restaurant in NYC. It's a refreshing Asian riff on a michelada-- which seemed a perfect compliment to a movie full of Roy Choi recipes. Also there's the name. Because sometimes Chef Carl Casper is kind an arrogant ass.

Ingredients

  • Kosher or sea salt
  • 1 ounce lime juice
  • 2 to 3 generous squeezes of Sriracha
  • 3 dashes Maggi sauce
  • 12 ounces Cerveza (Mexican lager-style beer; I prefer Pacifico)
  • lime wedges, for the rim and to garnish
  • jalapeño slices, to garnish (optional)

Instructions

Rub a lime wedge along the edge of the cup, and dip in salt-- set aside.

Add siracha, maggi, and lime juice to your cups, swirling to mix. Add beer, and garnish with lime wedge and jalepeno (if you want just a little extra ego).

farmers market cajun kettle corn

Farmer's Market Cajun Kettle Corn

Yield: 3 servings
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Aside from the opening credits, one of the first foodie moments in Chef sees Carl and his son Percy wandering between farmers market stalls. When Percy asks for kettle corn, Carl subjects him to a lecture about nutritional value. Then takes him to eat a giant andouille sausage sandwich. :I.

So, here is a salty, smoky, sweet combination of kettle corn and andouille, cajun-y spices-- a perfect snack for farmers market meandering.

It's spicy, you like spicy? No? Eh, it's not so spicy...

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup popcorn kernels
  • 2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/8 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne
  • 1/8 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tbsp butter (optional)

Instructions

Get them kernels and cajun spices together!

popcorn ingredients

In a medium sized heavy bottom pot, eat vegetable oil and sugar over medium heat-- swirl, until sugar starts to dissolve. Add your kernels and stir to coat them in your sugar oil. Cover the pot-- the trapped heat inside is what will pop your corn! Shake the pot every 8-10 seconds to prevent the sugar from burning.

When the popping has slowed to once every 2 to 3 seconds, uncover the pot and remove from the heat. Ideally you'll have a slightly sticky and sweet batch of lovely kettle corn.

Pour into a large bowl and toss in your cajun spice mix-- if you want to add a little fat into your carbs covered with sugar, feel free to toss in 1 tbsp of melted butter. It does help the spices stick a bit better, but isn't 100% necessasry. But let's be real butter makes everything better. You can always have a piece of fruit afterwards.

farmers market cajun kettle corn

Be forewarned, this shit is addictive.

kimchi grilled cheese

Kimchi Grilled Cheese

Yield: 2 Sammies
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Who knew grilled cheese could become an art form? Roy Choi in the end credits of Chef, apparently. But because it's me, I decided to up the flavor of my sammie with a few Asian ingredients-- like spicy kimchi innards and a sesame seed buttered exterior that, when toasted, has a Michelin level crunch. See, I can be cocky too.

Just remember, per Roy: this is the only thing that exists in this world. And if you fuck this up, everything sucks in the world.

Ingredients

  • 4 slices sourdough sandwich bread
  • 1/2 cup mild cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup kimchi, roughly chopped
  • 6 tbsp butter, softened
  • 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

Start by lightly toasting one side of each piece of bread-- spread 2 tbsp of your butter on one side of each slice, and sear lightly on a griddle pan heated to medium. It should only take 5 minutes or so to get to a light golden brown.

Remove bread slices from the griddle pan and set onto a cutting board. Top the toasted sides first with cheddar, then kimchi, then pepper jack. Mix sesame seeds into remaining 4 tbsps of softened butter, and spread the mixture on the untoasted sides of each piece of bread.

Add sandwiches back to griddle pan over medium heat. Rotate repeatedly to ensure even browning and melting, pressing down slightly. Flip, and do the same to the other side. Per Roy: you’re not too busy with it, you’re precise, but then sometimes you step back. The whole sandwich is starting to evolve

grilled cheese

What you should end up with is a gooey, spicy, sesame crunched flavor bomb (and don't you dare remove those crusts, Percy).

kimchi grilled cheese

aglio y olio

Aglio y Olio (aka Sexy Time Pasta)

Yield: 3 servings
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

As indicated in my Chef post intro-- this scene still makes me lol. Jon Favreau wishes.

But that pasta did look fucking good. So I made it. It's yummy.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb dried spaghetti
  • 1/4 cup super high quality extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tbsp for pasta water
  • 7 large garlic cloves, sliced super thin
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/2 lemon
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Start by boiling your sgetti in a large pot of salted water-- add olive oil to the water as the pasta cooks to al dente level. Reserving about 1/4 cup of pasta water, drain noods and set aside.

Now for your Olio ingredients.

pasta ingredients

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat-- add garlic slices and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften. Don't overcook them! Add red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds.

sizzling garlic

Carefully add the reserved pasta-cooking water, 1/4 tsp salt and a few cranks of pepper to the pan and bring to a soft boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 3 minutes, until the liquid has reduced a bit.

Add the drained pasta to the to the pan and toss to coat completely with the garlic-y peppery oil. Remove from heat, and add half the parsley and half the parmesan, as well as a healthy squeeze of lemon juice-- toss again, tasting for seasoning and if need be, adding more salt and/or pepper.

aglio y olio toss

To plate, twirl noods into whatever receptacle you have closest to your bed-- ahem, stove-- and top with additional parsley and parmesan.

aglio y olio

tostones with avocado cream

Tostones for Martin

Yield: 3 servings
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Could'a made yucca fries, but these were calling to me. And they're Martin's favorite. And, I really wanted an excuse to make this avocado crema. Dip all the things in it.

Ingredients

  • 4 scallions
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 1 tsp jalapeno, stemmed, halved, and seeded (see note)
  • 1 haas avocado, halved and seeded, flesh removed
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tbsp water
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • 2 GREEN plantains (they should NOT be soft)
  • 1 cup vegetable or canola oil, or as needed
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to top tostones
  • Juice of 1 lime

Instructions

Start with your avocado cilantro crema. Blend all of the below (ie your first 9 ingredients) in a mini food processor or blender until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

avocado crema ingredients

Using a sharp knife, cut off the tops and bottoms of each plantain-- slice through the skin of the plantain lengthwise, but don't cut through the inner portion. Using your fingers, peel the skin away from the plantain innards, and cut the plantains into rounds about 1 inch thick. Watch for tarantulas!

cut plantains

Fill a heavy bottomed skillet with roughly 1 inch of oil. Heat over medium. While your oil is warming up, whisk together water, garlic powder, salt, and lime juice (ie your final 4 ingredients) in a medium bowl. Set aside.

When your oil is warm-hot, add your plantain rounds to the skillet. The oil should not aggressively bubble-- you want a soft bubble for a light fry. Cook the plantains this way until softened and golden, approximately 4 minutes on each side (in batches if need be).

first fry plantain

Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Using the bottom of a glass or a press of some kind, smush each plantain round until they are about 1/3 of an inch thick-- if you flatten them too much, they'll break apart on the next fry. Dip the plantain disks into your garlic lime water, allowing them to sit in the mix for about 10 seconds before you remove and gently dry on paper towls.

smash tostones

Wen you are almost ready to serve, reheat your oil over medium high heat (it's ready when a drop of water pops in the oil). Re-fry the plantains until crisp, a little less than 2 minutes per side. Drain again on towels, and serve warm and crispy with avocado crema and a generous sprinkle of salt.

tostones with avocado cream

cubano

This is It Cubanos

Yield: 3-4 (plus leftovers)
Prep Time: 12 hours
Cook Time: 2 hours 3 seconds
Total Time: 14 hours 3 seconds

This. This is the shit.

Cubanos Chef Roy Choi style-- brined, mojo marinated pork with sweet ham, yellow mustard, pickles, swiss cheese, and crispy buttered Cuban bread. Oh. My. God.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, pre-tied into a rough roll of meat

Pork Brine

  • 1 1/3 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 1/2 tbsp rum
  • 2 1/2 tbsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
  • 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh sage, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf

Mojo Marinade

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • 4 tsp mint leaves, minced
  • 1/2 tbsp grated orange zest (from one orange)
  • 2 1/2 tbsp orange juice (from aforementioned orange)
  • 2 1/2 tbsp lime juice
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt

For the Sammies

  • Two 6-8inch long Cuban Loaves (or one really long one)
  • 8 slices swiss cheese
  • 12-16 oz Mojo Roast Pork
  • 6 oz shaved honey ham
  • 3 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 1/2 cup sliced dill pickles
  • 4 tbsp softened butter

Instructions

Get all them brine ingredients mixed up and pour into a gallon ziploc. Add your pork shoulder to the bag, seal, and squish around for a second. Refrigerate, overnight, or at the very least 6 hours.

pork mojo brine

On the day of, puree all of the mojo marinade ingredients in a blender or mini food processor. Remove the pork shoulder from the brine and pat dry-- pour the marinade over the pork and refrigerate for another 2 hours, allowing all of the mojo deliciousness to soak into the meat.

Preheat the oven to 425 and set a rack over a baking sheet lined with foil. Remove the pork from the marinade and season all over with salt and pepper-- place onto your rack. Don't toss your leftover marinade!

Insert a meat thermometer into the center of your meat, and roast the pork for about 30 minutes. Pour a bit more marinade over the meat, removing it briefly from the oven if need be.

mojo pork

Reduce the oven temperature to 375 and continue roasting the pork for 1 hour and 30 minutes longer, basting once or twice more with remaining mojo-- you need to get to an internal temperature of 160.

When the meat is done, transfer to a cutting board and let it rest for 30 minutes-- the temperature will continue to rise a bit as it sits. Discard any string holding the roast together, and slice thinly-- about 1/4 inch thick slices. Don't worry, you're gonna have leftovers of this, so feel free to snack on a few slices and/or have a bunch of friends taste test.

sliced mojo pork

Now that you have your juicy pork slices ready, it's time to get your remaining sammie ingredients together. Slice and generously butter the insides of your cuban loaves, and place on a flat griddle over medium high heat-- toast, moving the bread around a bit to ensure even browning. Remove from the griddle and spread the toasted bread insides with mustard.

cuban ingredients

Now for your layering order. Note, my is slightly different from Chef Choi's--I do cheese, pork, ham, pickle, cheese. I just find that sandwiching everything in melted cheese is... better.

When you're about ready to eat, generously butter the outside of each sandwich and place back onto your heated flat griddle pan. I don't have a legit plancha for pressing, but a panini press works pretty good. When that bread is golden and that cheese is melted, it's done.

cuban press

To serve, cut each sandwich at a sharp diagonal. Eat hot, and preferably with a lot of cerveza. Not beer, cerveza. See Cocky Rooster recipe.

cubano

Notes

If you've not heard about the Floridian Cuban Sandwich debate, you can read about it here. For me, even though I hail from the Tampa Bay area, I'm not a huge salami and mayo fan, but to each their own. Just please, for the love of god, try to find some authentic Cuban bread. It's a pain in the ass, depending on where you live, but it's worth it.

chocolate lava beignets

Chocolate Lava Beignets

Yield: 18
Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

You'll find no infamous molten lava cake here. Instead, I give you molten chocolate BEIGNETS with just a hint of coffee. Cafe du Monde, nothing but respect-- but these beignets are GOOD.

Eat 'em slow. That molten chocolate center gets very, very hot.

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 tbsp coffee
  • 1 1/8 tsp active dry yeast (1/2 envelope)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cups lukewarm water
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • Oil for deep-frying (canola or peanut)
  • 4 oz bittersweet chocolate chips (about 1/2 cup)
  • Powdered Sugar, for garnish

Instructions

Start with your coffee ganache. In a microwave safe bowl, add your chocolate chips to your cream. Add 1 tbsp butter and coffee to a small, separate bowl and allow to come to room temp.

chocolate ganache

Microwave the chocolate/cream mix in 20 second bursts, stirring between each, until chocolate mix is smooth (all in, should take about a minutes worth of nukage). Add butter and coffee and stir in until butter is melted. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours until set.

Time to prep your beignet dough!

In a medium bowl, whisk together granulated sugar and warm water until sugar is dissolved. Add yeast and allow to get foamy (about 10 mins). In a separate bowl, beat the egg with vanilla and evaporated milk until incorporated. And, have your butter and flour ready.

beignet batter ingredients

Add half of your flour to a stand mixer bowl, together with egg mix. Beat with a dough hook until smooth, just a couple of minutes. Add yeast mix slowly while still running the mixer, followed by the butter, beating on medium low until smooth. Add remaning half of the flour and your salt-- beat 2 minutes more, until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Add your dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover-- let rise for 2 hours in a warm environement until the dough has doubled in size.

When the dough is ready, place on a lightly floured surface and roll out into a square roughly 1/8 inch thick. Using a floured knife, cut into 3x3 squares. Add a scant tsp of chocolate ganache to the center of each square, and fold the dough over the ganache to creat a nice little package. Make sure you seal the edges fully, or the chocolate will burst out when you fry your beignets.

beignet filling

Cover your raw beignets with a towl and allow to rest for 20 mins or so while you heat your oil for frying.

Place a deep, heavy bottomed pot (maybe the same one you used for your popcorn?) on high heat and fill that sucker with your oil (about 2-3 inches deep). Using a candy thermometer, bring the temperature of your oil up to 350 degrees.

In batches of 3-4, fry up your beignets roughly 1-2 minutes per side. Keep an eye on the temperature, and adjust your heat to compensate for any fluctuation-- you don't want to burn your lava filled treats!

beignet fry

Once your beignets are puffed and golden brown, remove from the hot oil and allow to drain on a paper towel lined cooked sheet. Sprinkle with powdered sugar (I didn't use too much, but feel free to go nuts if you like sweets), and serve warm.

molten chocolate beignets

THAT SHIT IS MOLTEN!!!!!! IT'S FUCKING MOLTEN!!!!!!!

berries and cream with sugar dust

Smashed Sugar Berries and Cream

Yield: 3 small servings
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour

Ok this was kind of a bonus dessert. Berries macerated in booze and topped with whipped cream and sugar dust... it just looked so yummy and easy and hey guess what it was (with a couple of adjustments).

Ingredients

  • For the Berries
  • 1/3 heaping cup raspberries
  • 1/3 heaping cup blackberries
  • 1/3 heaping cup blueberries
  • 1/3 heaping cup strawberries, thickly sliced
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp Grand Marnier
  • Squeeze fresh lemon juice

Sugar Dust

  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp water

Whipped Cream

  • **SEE NOTE

Instructions

In a large bowl, sprinkle tbsp of sugar, Grand Marnier, and a squeeze of lemon juice over your berries and refrigerate-- the acid/alcohol will macerate the berries as they get sweeter from the sugar.

macerated berries

Now for your sugar dust-- in a small saucepan, combine sugar and water and heat over medium. Stir until sugar is fully melted and begins to turn into a light caramel color.

Pour onto a silpat lined baking sheet and allow to set for 20 minutes or so. Once the sugar sets, smash up with a knife...

sugar break

...and add shards to a mini food processor or blender. Puree until you get a sugar dust. Don't worry if there are a few chunks-- you're gonna sift these out!

sifting sugar dust

When you're ready to serve, top your macerated berries with whipped cream, and toss a handful of sugar dust on top with an arrogant chef-y flourish.

berries and cream with sugar dust

Notes

You can find my recipe for whipped cream here.

 

Epilogue

Whoever compiled the soundtrack for the movie Chef did an A+ job. I highly recommend listening whilst you cook– it’s a vibe.

 

For more menus, check out my movie directory here!

A League of Their Own

A League of Their Own

So last month kind of sucked for women. Actually, it really really sucked. But all the more reason to watch A League of Their Own– 30 years old on July 1, 2022 and a wonderful film to spend your afternoon with if you’re not feeling 

Better Off Dead

Better Off Dead

Better Off Dead is one of those 80’s movies that a number of people don’t get. It’s surreal, fantastical, slapstick-y, absurd, and yes, there is a claymation hamburger that sings along with Van Halen. It’s f*cking funny you guys. Better Off Dead focuses on Lane 

Fried Green Tomatoes

Fried Green Tomatoes

I’d always promised myself that, should ever I start a “dinner and a movie” blog, Fried Green Tomatoes would be the first post. That clearly didn’t happen, and for a variety of reasons, but I think the biggest one is that I love this movie too much. I could NOT get the menu to be perfect enough. And I still haven’t. But I will say (one year after the launch of Two Crumbs Up), my recipe for fried green tomatoes is pretty close.

Everything about this early 90’s movie, adapted from Fannie Flagg’s best selling novel, still resonates. The comedic moments and the sob-inducing ones, the soundtrack, the social commentary, and good GOLLY the stellar performances. Viewers meet our first protagonist, dowdy Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates), as she munches pathetically on a candy bar, having unknowingly lost herself and her husband (both literally and figuratively) on the way to visit his aunt in a nursing home. When they finally arrive at their destination, Evelyn encounters another elderly woman who will have an indelible impact on her life. Mrs. Ninny Threadgoode (played by Jessica Tandy) is chalk full of history and a talent for storytelling, and over the next year shares with Evelyn tall tales about her sister-in-law, Idgie Threadgoode (Mary Stuart Masterson) and Ruth Jamison (Mary Louise Parker), who lived one hell of a Depression-era life together in the little town of Whistle Stop, Alabama. 

This is a film that begins and ends with memories– from the opening shots of that bastard Frank Bennett’s truck and a phantom train that gave to and took much from the Threadgoode household, all the way through to Evelyn’s discovery of a jar of honey on a grave. And underneath those memories are so many important takeaways. Fried Green Tomatoes dealt heavily with issues of racial inequality and persecution in the first part of the century, as did the book on which the film is based. It also offers up a not-so-subtle critique of the way we neglect the elderly population of this country, who have so many incredible stories to tell. But for me the message that always lingers longest is that of female empowerment and friendship. Evelyn Couch, once a person too afraid to look at her own vagina, is able to find herself through the stories of women who were ALWAYS there for one another, through hell or high water– Idgie, Ruth, Ninny, Sipsey (Cicely Tyson), and Momma Threadgoode (Lois Smith). These women knew what it was to live through hard and cruel times, and they managed it by relying on each other’s courage, kindness, and good humor. And while some might criticize the film for only lightly hinting at the romantic relationship between Idgie and Ruth (the book was much bolder), I think the movie still captures novelist Fannie Flagg’s original thesis: that the secret to life is friends. Best friends.

I’M CRYING JUST TYPING ABOUT IT. But also because I’m lucky enough to have women like that in my own life, not to mention the type of mother who claps gleefully while watching Evelyn Couch ram her car six times into another in a justified fury. After all, she’s older and she has more insurance.

Towandaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

On to the food, a quintessential part of the Fried Green Tomatoes narrative! Food is what brings the characters in the film together, whether during prep, eating, or while waxing nostalgic about family favorite recipes. There’s the title dish (ironically not even a traditional southern recipe until Fannie Flagg made it so, but never you mind), barbecue, bacon, coffee, fried chicken, biscuits, oysters, cornbread, candy bars, low cholesterol sushi– honestly so much to choose from. But I had to narrow it down to the below (for now). I’d like to think it’s the kind of meal that Idgie, Ruth, Evelyn, Ninny and Sipsey would enjoy together over at the Whistle Stop Cafe, spinning yarns and listening to the trains go by. <happy tears> 

 

THE MOVIE

 

THE MENU

blackberry moonshine smash

Blackberry Moonshine Smash

Yield: 2 Drinks
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

A smash cocktail that commemorates the following: refreshing bbq beverages, prohibition era booze (not to mention the memory of poor Smoky Lonesome), and last but not least, the moment Idgie smashes a handful of blackberries in Ruth's face.

It's a drink that'll definitely get you and your friends drunk and may or may not have you begging the local sheriff, "arrest us!"

Ingredients

  • 2 oz Moonshine (I used Ole Smokey Blue Flame)
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 lemons, juiced
  • 1 cup water
  • 10ish large blackberries
  • Ice
  • Mint for garnish

Instructions

In a cocktail shaker, combine booze, sugar, lemon and blackberries.

blackberry moonshine smash ingredients

Feel free to engage in a little preliminary berry smashing with your hands-- and if you have a friend's face handy, it might be a great help in the smashing process (see below for demonstration).

blackberry face

Once muddled, add ice to the shaker and shake until chilled. Strain into a mason jar filled with ice (some blackberry beads will come through, that's ok!) and garnish with a fresh sprig of mint.

fried green tomatoes glamour

Fried Green Tomatoes

Yield: 2-3 Servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

And here it is, THE recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes. A perfect culinary metaphor for one of the film's central themes: that with a little love, determination, and originality even the most unwanted of outsider foods (hard as a rock and not even a vegetable!) can become something singularly delicious.

I did refer specifically to Fannie Flagg's cookbook (#2 recipe), but I also tweaked it ever so slightly. Because it's me.

Ingredients

  • 2 large green tomatoes
  • 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, plus a bit more for sliced tomatoes
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp cornmeal
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 egg (preferably shot right outta a chicken's ass)
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp of Franks hot sauce
  • 1 tsp of Franks hot sauce
  • Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Start by prepping your tomatoes-- slice each into 1/3 inch rounds. You want them thick enough not to maintain a bit of bite and NOT cave in on themselves after a minute or two at room temperature.

Place tomato slices on paper towels and sprinkle with a bit of salt-- this will both season the tomatoes AND cause some excess moisture to bleed out. After about 10 mins, pat dry.

green tomatoes

In the meantime!: set up your breading station next to cookie sheet fitted with a rack. Mix flour, cornmeal, 1 tsp salt, garlic powder, and pepper on a plate. Then, mix egg, buttermilk, 1/2 tsp salt, and hot sauce in a small bowl. Dunk your tomato slices first in your liquid, then dredge thickly with breading-- feel free to press a bit to create as thick a layer of carbs as possible.

green tomato breading

Place breaded tomatoes on the rack and allow to rest while you preheat your fry sitch. Add a 1/4 inch worth's of oil to a cast iron skillet and heat on high until the oil pops when you add a drop of water.

Fry your tomatoes in batches of 3 to 4 at a time-- a little less than a minute per side-- until you get a real good scald on them and they turn a lovely golden brown. Wait a bit between batches to allow the oil to come back up to temperature.

frying tomatoes

Place fried tomatoes back on the rack, and if need be, place in a 300 degree preheated oven to keep warm (but not for more than 5-10 minutes or they'll turn to mush).

dry tomatoes

'Course, mine never make it to the oven because I've eaten them all immediately...

fried green tomatoes

Notes

Note #1: You don't really need a sauce for these, but if you really wanted one, try a nice ranch or (better yet) the green goddess from the crudite recipe in this post.

Note #2: if you can't find green tomatoes, try subbing out tomatillos and half and half instead of buttermilk. I've done it-- it's good.

Fannie flagg ribs

BBQ (PORK) Ribs

Yield: 2-3 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours

Sadly I don't own a smoker or a grill, and so inevitably this won't be quite as good as a Big George hog boil. But for now, just think of it as some of the best damn oven roasted barbecue in the state of California.

And I specified pork for a reason folks. If you haven't watched the movie, you'll find out why... "secret's in the sauce".

Ingredients

  • 2 lb rack of baby back ribs
  • Vegetable Oil
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • Liquid Smoke (optional)
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • ¼ tsp chipotle powder
  • ¼ tsp cumin powder
  • ¼ tsp paprika
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • 1 lemon wedge
  • ½ cup ketchup

Instructions

    Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. If your rack ‘o’ ribs requires removal of the membrane (which is usually the case), carefully start at one end and pull away until it comes off in one strip.

    ribs membrane

    Brush the ribs with oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. If you have it, you can also rub a few drops of liquid smoke into the meat—it’s a great cheat if you don’t have a grill or smoker.

    Wrap your ribs with aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Roast nice and slow for a total of about 3-3.5 hours. You’ll want to brush the ribs with sauce a couple of times in the last hour.

    Speaking of, now it’s time to make the BBQ sauce! This recipe is another riff on a Fannie Flagg recipe—I tend to like a little kick, so I’ve added a few spices.

    bbq sauce ingredients

    In a saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except the ketchup. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Take off the heat, remove the lemon wedge, and whisk in the ketchup. If need be, you can add more spices to taste.

    After the ribs have roasted about 2 hours, gently unwrap them and brush both sides with sauce.

    rib bbq sauce

    Rewrap the ribs and return to the oven to continue roasting for 30 minutes, after which you’ll brush the ribs once more. At a little over 3 hrs of baking time, check to see if the ribs are tender by inserting a fork into the middle rib and twisting slightly. The meat should pull away from the bone relatively easily.

    Set your oven to a low broil and, leaving the ribs unwrapped and meat side up, let the skin crisp a bit for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the broiler and let sit, lightly wrapped to keep warm, for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Ribs can be served room temperature, with reserved sauce on the side.

    ribs

cornbread honey butter

Southern Cornbread & Bee Charmer Butter

Yield: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

True southern-style cornbread is NOT sweet-- but that's why a big ole dollop of Bee Charmer honey butter works so well. And, if you have leftover bread, feel free to crumble it into a cup of buttermilk and eat it with a spoon. It's a thing.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoon bacon drippings
  • 3 tablespoons salted butter, softened
  • 1 tsp honey

Instructions

    Preheat to 450 degrees. Mix the first five dry ingredients in one bowl, and the egg and buttermilk in another.

    cornbread ingredients

    Heat the bacon grease in two 6.5 inch cast iron skillets, 1 tbsp per skillet. Mix dry and wet ingredients together and whisk until smooth.

    Pour cornbread batter equally into each pre-heated skillet:

    cornbread batter

    ...and immediately put into oven—bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown on top and the bread passes the toothpick test (ie, stick a toothpick in the center and no raw bread gunk remains attached when you pull it out).

    While cornbread is baking, whip softened butter and honey with a fork until light and fluffy and fully combined. Serve alongside hot cornbread.

    cornbread honey butter

Notes

If using 9 inch cast iron skillet, double the recipe and add another 5 minutes to the baking time.

Recommended Products

credit

Crudite for Towanda

Yield: Lots plus leftovers
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

I know Ninny doesn't really go in for none of that "raw stuff"-- but with the fried things, and the butter, and the pork, I really did need something nutritious and crunchy. And I think Evelyn in her Towanda state would agree, especially since I paired all this healthy with a creamy (and appropriatetly, a little spicy) green goddess dip.

PS if you need, feel free to crumble in some hormones and stress tablets number 4 for good measure. Can't hurt.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup parsley
  • 1/4 cup each basil, tarragon, dill, chives
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup greek yogurt (full fat)
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp capers in juice
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 lemon
  • Several dashes hot sauce
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • All your preferred veggies (rainbow carrots, celery, sugar snap peas, cucumber, etc)

Instructions

Combine the first eight ingrendients in a blender and puree until smooth.

green goddess ingredients

Add several dashes of hot sauce for some extra HEAT and a smidge of salt to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve with all your fave crudite veggies.

crudite

If you need to, you can always make ahead-- just wrap very tightly in all the cellophane.

candy bar cake

Grandma Ruth's Candy Bar Cake

Yield: Way too much for one person. Except in emergencies.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

I was named after both of my grandmothers-- amazing women each. My mother's mother Ruth was an incredible baker, and I can't imagine a movie better suited for this, one of her more famous recipes (at least among my family).

Though TECHNICALLY Grandma Ruth's was a Milky Way Cake, I couldn't resist using my own favorite Baby Ruth candy bars. The name alone...

Note: If you can't eat it all, don't worry, the cake freezes exceptionally well. But for those of you who doubt your ability to finish off several squares in one go, I encourage you to repeat after Ruth: Don't you ever say never to me.

Ingredients

  • 6 oz Baby Ruth Candy Bars (3 large,
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 stick unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup evaporated milk
  • pinch salt
  • 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 4 oz marshmallow cream
  • 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Instructions

Who knew you could use candy bars in a cake base? That's right, my gramma did.

cake base

Melt your candy bars and 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over medium low heat, stirring constantly.

melted baby ruths

In the meantime, combine 1 cup sugar and shortening and beat until creamy. Add eggs, and continue beating until light and fluffy. Combine flour and salt in one bowl, and buttermilk and baking soda in another. Add dry ingredients to creamed mix alternately with wet ingredients. Beat well after each addition.

batter

Stir in vanilla and candy bar mix until fully incorporated. Pour better into a greased and floured 9x9 square cake pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until done (toothpick test!).

batter in pan

While your cake is baking, move on to your chocolate marshmallow frosting. Melt remaining butter, sugar, evaporated milk, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a soft boil. Add chocolate and marshmallow cream and stir until fully incorporated. Yum. yum. yum yum yum you guys. And I don't even like sweets.

marshmallow icing

Cool your frosting until thickened, and pour over your cake-- it will spread like ganache. Top with roasted peanuts and refrigerate for an hour before cutting into squares.

candy bar cake stuff

Did I tell you my Grandma Ruth was a baking badass? My god.

baby ruth cake glamour

 

Epilogue

As mentioned, I did adapt some of the recipes and techniques from the back pages of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe as well as Fannie Flagg’s later Cookbook. But I also read through a fair amount of other cookbooks for inspiration and tips on technique: specifically several in this list posted by Smitten Kitchen, which celebrates African American cooking in the South and beyond. Jubilee and Taste of Country Cooking are two particular favorites of mine– I highly recommend.

Now get cookin! And always remember, TOWANDA.

Fried Green Tomatoes

 

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Pan’s Labyrinth

Pan’s Labyrinth

While not part of the 1980’s fantasy collection that I grew up with, Pan’s Labyrinth is still a favorite of mine. This dark and beautiful fairy tale follows the quest of an 11-year-old heroine living in two worlds: Franco’s Spain, and the dreamy/sometimes nightmarish underworld of