The Vegetarian Steak House

There is a really funny story that goes along with this recipe. But I will get to that in a minute.

First of all - it's Thanksgiving week! How excited are you?! While my favorite holiday is the 4th of July, Thanksgiving is a very close second. I love that it revolves around eating and it is definitely the kickoff to the holiday eating season, as I like to call it. The weather is chilly (at least here in the mid-Atlantic region) and everyone is concentrating on making the coziest, homey-est food to keep us warm and satisfied. The recipes I am going to share with you today definitely qualify as cozy, homey, and satisfying!

Being that Thanksgiving is in eyesight, I wanted to give you a recipe that would be great for serving on the day itself - that would be the whipped potatoes. I didn't want to just make whipped potatoes and call it a night, since I do eat the recipes I share with you as my dinner! To turn this into a meal, I had the idea to use the potatoes as a bed for some hardy, marinated portobello caps, like I have gotten before at the local Ruth's Chris Steak House.  I was lucky enough to work in the same building as a Ruth's Chris, as well as to be employed by someone who often treated us to lunch there. I was really impressed with the selection of vegetarian/pescetarian options RC offers. My favorite dish to get was marinated portobello caps, asparagus, and tomatoes, all over a bed of mashed potatoes. Portobello mushrooms are about the closest things vegetarians get to the flavor and consistency of steak, so it makes sense they would serve this at Ruth's Chris. I used to make that dish for myself at home all of the time, so I figured I would fancy it up a little and share the recipe with you!

Enter the funny story. I decided that this recipe would be the perfect thing to make for a certain someone spesh, since he loves mushrooms. He is also a meat-eater, so I decided to take the opportunity to cook a steak and give my readers the option of making this recipe with steak instead of or in addition to mushrooms (you're welcome!). I am a vegetarian who just so happens to be able to cook some really delish meat dishes (so I'm told!), but steak preparation is one area in which I'm lacking. I decided it would be best to ask for some help and guidance so that I could learn the way of the steak. I was informed that steak should be cooked on very high heat when using a cast iron skillet. OK, got it. What is not OK is adding a spoonful of butter to a searing hot pan while indoors. I now know this from experience. What happens when you do that, is smoke starts billowing up from the pan and your fire alarm goes off. The fire alarm goes off for a good 15 minutes straight. Your puppy runs and hides to get away from the noise and commotion and is traumatized for the rest of the night. That someone spesh has to eventually rip the fire alarms out of the walls to finally get them to stop screeching. And you are embarassed that the first meal you cooked for them has also resulted in your first emergency together. Ah well.

It was all good though, because in the end, the food still tasted fantastic AND we have a really funny story and memory to share. :-)

With that said, I hope my tale of woe will help you have a more successful cooking experience. Learn from my mistake and do not add butter to a burning hot pan! I adjusted the recipe below so that you add butter at a more appropriate time. ;-)

And with that, let's get cookin'!

The Steak House at Home
Servings: 2
Prep time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Marinated Mushrooms
Ingredients:
4 portobello mushroom caps
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon Italian dry herb blend
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (FCBP)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Start by washing your mushrooms. Use a damp paper towel to simply wipe off the excess dirt from the top of the mushroom caps, as well as the underside.

Cut the mushrooms into 1/2 inch slices, like so:

Set the mushroom slices in either one large baking dish or two smaller ones (as I did).

Note: If you are using two smaller ones, you are going to divide the rest of the ingredients between the two dishes.

Drizzle the balsamic vinegar and EVOO over the mushrooms.

Sprinkle with the minced garlic, Italian dry herbs, salt, and pepper.

Dot the top of the mushrooms with the butter so that it will melt over them while they are cooking.

Place the baking dish in the oven on the center rack and allow to cook for thirty minutes.

{While the mushrooms are baking, make the whipped potatoes.}

When they are done cooking, remove the baking dish from the oven, and set the oven to broil.

Sprinkle the top of the mushrooms with the grated parmesan cheese.

Place the baking dish back in the oven on the top rack so that the cheese can get melty and crusty. Remove after three minutes.

Whipped Potatoes
Ingredients:
3 medium sized Idaho potatoes
1 can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon frech cracked black pepper (FCBP)
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
8 teaspoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons chevre (goat cheese)
3 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons finely ground white pepper

Place a large pot filled 3/4 of the way with water on the stove over high heat. Bring the water to a rapid boil.

Peel the potatoes, discarding the peels.

Chop all of the potatoes into small cubes. Gently place them in the boiling water.

Allow the potatoes to cook in the water for 10-15 minutes, checking them periodically with a fork to see if they are softened. You want the fork to easily go through the potato and for the potato to kind of fall apart.

While the potatoes are boiling away, make the pumpkin component.

Set a small pot on the stove over medium-low heat.

Add the entire can of pumpkin puree to the pot, along with the chicken stock, 1 teaspoon of salt, FCBP, and sage. Stir to combine.

Allow the puree to cook while the potatoes finish boiling, stirring often.

Back to the potatoes: Set a colander in the sink, and once the potatoes are ready, remove them from the stove and drain them in the colander.

Shake any excess water from the potatoes and then toss them back into the pot in which you cooked them.

Add in 1/2 cup of the pumpkin puree mixture, the goat cheese, butter, 2 teaspoons salt, and white pepper.

Use a hand held blender to whip the potatoes and blend all of the ingredients into the them. Make sure there are no lumps and that you have a finely whipped combination.

Set the pot back on the stove over very low heat to stay warm while you make the rest of the dishes.

Now to the steak...

Marinated Steak
Ingredients:
1 thin cut steak - your choice!
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 teaspoon Italian dry herb blend
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons unsalted butter

Place the steak in a baking dish and drizzle it with the vinegar and EVOO. Use a fork to flip over the steak to ensure both sides are covered in the vinegar and oil.

Sprinkle the surface of the steak with half of the Italian dry herbs and minced garlic. Flip over the steak and sprinkle in the rest of the herbs and garlic.

Let that marinate while you heat up your skillet.

Place a heavy, cast iron skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.

Add the butter and allow it to melt while the skillet is brought to temperature.

Once the butter has melted and is sizzling slightly, the pan is ready for the steak.

Use a fork to lay the steak in the pan.

It is up to you to what done-ness (is that how it's phrased?) you want your steak cooked. This one was done to medium-rare, so if you want yours more done, cook it slightly longer on each side.

Allow it to cook on the first side for five minutes, then flip over and cook on the second side for five minutes. When you're done, both sides should have a nice browned sear.

Remove the steak from the pan and set it on your serving plate.

Sauteed Spinach
Ingredients:
1 container organic baby spinach
1 garlic clove
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (FCBP)
Pinch nutmeg

Note: If you are not making steak with this meal, and only doing the mushrooms, you would cook your spinach while you are whipping the potatoes. You would prepare the pan, throw in the spinach, and come back to it all wilted by the time you are done poatato whipping.

If you are making steak, you would sautee the spinach while the steak is cooking. You would prepare the pan, throw in the spinach, and come back to it all wilted by the time you are done cooking your steak.

I didn't take any pics of this cooking - I was side tracked after the fire alarm went off! But it's super simple - you can do it!

Start by placing a skillet on the stove over medium heat.

Use the flat side of your knife to lay on top of the garlic. Give it a good whack with the palm of your hand. This will 'crack' the garlic.

Drizzle in the EVOO and add the cracked clove of garlic to the oil.

After two minutes, add all of the spinach to the pan. Sprinkle in the FCBP and nutmeg and use a spatula to toss the spinach in the oil.

Allow the spinach to wilt while you are either whipping potatoes or cooking steak, about ten minutes.

Once the spinach is all wilted, turn off the heat. Discard the garlic clove.

Now let's assemble our dinner plate!

Start by placing the cooked steak on a cutting board, and cutting it into slices.

Use a large serving spoon to add the whipped potatoes to the center of your plate. I did about three heaping spoonfuls.

Then, use a spatula to gather the sliced mushrooms or steak and lay them on top of the potatoes neatly.

Use a fork to lay the sauteed spinach around the perimeter of the whipped potatoes.

 

And here is what our steak plate turned out to look like! haha He assured me it tasted very good. My recipe, his cooking!

Serve with a glass of red wine and enjoy!

Salute!

Dinner Party: Tapas!

My friends Erica and Kelly recently went to Spain for vacay (jealous!).  When they got back, Erica told me that they had some really great food while there, obviously, and that she was itching to recreate some of the dishes now that they were home. She suggested we get together to make some tapas and pintxos at my house, invite some friends, and include the recipes here on vorace. Done, done, and done!

We immediately created a shared Pinterest board and started putting together some ideas. We agreed that it would be best to create some of our own recipes to share on the blog, as well as make some of the recipes we found online. The three recipes we came up with ourselves are what I'm sharing with you today. I will also be giving you an assortment of olive recipes, since olives are such a huge part of the Spanish dinner table. I am really packing a lot into this post and basically giving you an entire party at your fingertips! It's your lucky day!

Aside from how excited I was to serve and eat these recipes, I was really pumped about the idea of a tapas dinner party. Tapas are so easy to eat and share, they are perfect to serve when you want to host a friendly get-together or cocktail hour. Throw some sangria into the mix, and you have a ready-made party! With Thanksgiving and Christmas quickly approaching, I wanted to suggest this party style as a fresh entertaining idea. Holiday parties all tend to be fairly similar: the punch bowls, the finger foods, the sugar cookies. I think a tapas holiday party is a fun alternative to the standard sit-down dinner or potluck. It would be something different that your guests will still be talking about come Monday morning - in a good way! ;-) I hope you take these recipes and throw a tapas party this holiday season!

A little more about how this post is laid out: First up, I'm going to take you through some of the olive pintxos we put together. Two we came up with and one we found on Pinterest. The recipes are very simple but the end results are delicious! Next, I have laid out the three recipes Erica, Kelly, and I created through inspiration from their travels as well as our love for Spanish tapas in general. The mushrooms and the squid were both dishes that Erica and Kelly had in Spain, and the patatas bravas is a staple in every trip I make to my favorite restaurant, Jaleo. We really made that one our own!

OK, let's get cooking! Vámonos!


Marinated Olive Salad
Ingredients:
Small bowl full of assorted olives - black and green, cornichons, and caper berries
Juice of 1/4 tangelo
Rind of 1/4 tangleo, cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 fresh bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary

This is the perfect holiday tapas recipe! The rosemary and the tangelo create a very Christmas-y flavor, evoking the holiday spirit! I picked up the olive assortment from my local grocery's olive bar, but you could use jarred olives if you don't have access to an olive bar.

Start by adding the olive assortment to a small serving bowl.

Drizzle the tangelo juice over the olives.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl.

Toss to combine.

Place plastic wrap tightly over the top of the bowl.

Place the bowl in the fridge for at least two hours so that the flavors of the ingredients can infuse the olives.

Remove the bowl from the fridge, take off the plastic wrap, and set on your serving table. (You might want to consider setting aside a small ramiken next to these so that people can throw away the pits.)They should be good to go for your guests to enjoy for the rest of the night!

The Deconstructed Olive
Ingredients:
Bowl of garlic stuffed olives (you can find these at an olive bar, or you can make them yourself by buying pitted green olives and stuffing each with a single garlic clove)
Jar of roasted red peppers
1/8 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

The idea of this came from, as the title says, deconstructing the olive. Usually you find olives with the pimento stuffed inside, but that doesn't give you very much flavor. I wanted to kick it up a few notches by adding the garlic clove, more 'pimento' flavor by using roasted red pepper, and then bathing them in spice infused olive oil. They turned out to be really tasty!

Start by infusing the oil.

Set a small pot on the stove over medium heat. Add the olive oil and the crushed red pepper flakes.

Let that cook until the oil comes to a slight simmer. Remove the pan from the stove and set aside.

Meanwhile, you can be making up the olives.

Wrap each olive in a slice of roasted red pepper.

Stick a toothpick into one side of the pepper, through the olive, out the opposite side, and into the other end of the pepper. Repeat this for each olive.

Set them all in your serving bowl.

Drizzle the cooled spicy oil over the top of the olives.

Set the dish on your serving table and they are ready for your guests!

Shot & Chaser
Ingredients:
Bowl of large, pitted green olives
Equal number of sport peppers
1 small can of anchovies
Vodka - enough for however many shots you want to set up

Every holiday gathering needs a mood setter, a party starter. This recipe will definitely infuse some energy into your get-together!

Start by assembling the chasers. Add a sport pepper to the hole of each olive - the fat end in and the pointy end sticking out.

Then place a strip of anchovy around the outside of the olive and secure in place with a toothpick. (Stick the toothpick in one end of the anchovy and through the center of the olive, poking the other end of the anchovy on the other side.)

You can pile them into a serving dish so that people can eat them throughout the party, as I did here:

When you are ready for everyone to do a shot, set up your shot glasses in a row.

Pour the vodka slightly shy of the rim of each glass.

Place an olive/pepper on top of the shot glass so that the toothpick is preventing it from falling into the vodka.

Hand out the shots to everyone.

To take the shot, remove the olive from the top, drink the vodka, then pick the olive & pepper off the toothpick with your teeth and eat it. Salute!


Now on to the tapas!

While I am suggesting you use these recipes for your holiday party this year, each of these dishes would be great as a side dish for dinner. Let's get started!

Blue Cheese Stuffed Marinated Mushrooms
Serves: a party of about 12 people
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients:

4 packages of white, cremini, or baby bella mushrooms (or mix), whole

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons Bragg's liquid aminos, soy sauce, or tamari

1 large clove garlic

Splash of Spanish red wine - think Rioja or Tempranillo

1 medium block queso de cabrales (Roquefort or Blue Cheese)

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Start by cleaning your mushrooms. I like to wash each with a wet paper towel.

Next, pluck the stem off of each and throw away or save to use for making some yummy mushroom stock on another night.

Assemble the mushrooms, top down, hole up in a large baking dish with high sides.

In a small bowl, combine the balsamic, EVOO, & liquid aminos/soy sauce/tamari. Whisk to make a dressing. Then add the minced garlic and whisk again.

Drizzle the dressing over the top of the mushrooms.

Toss the mushrooms to coat them in the dressing.

Next, pour some red wine over the mushrooms.

Toss again to coat.

Place the baking dish into the oven and let them cook for 25 minutes.

When they have finished cooking, remove the baking dish from the oven and place it on a flat surface.

Use a spatula to flip over each mushroom so that the hole where the stem used to be is facing up.

Using your fingers, place a large pinch of blue cheese into each of the mushroom holes.

After you have done this to each and every mushroom, place the baking dish back into the oven for five  minutes so that the cheese can melt. Keep an eye on them at this point and remove them prior to the five minute mark if you notice the cheese starting to brown.

Once the cheese has melted, remove the baking dish from the oven and set it aside to cool.

Let the dish cool for about 10 minutes. Then throw down a hot pad and place the baking dish on top of it so you can serve the mushrooms straight out of that.

Set a serving spoon or fork next to the dish so that people can use it to scoop out their mushrooms.

Enjoy!

Patatas Bravas
Serves: Party of 12 or so
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
Bag of small white potatoes
1/4 cup no salt added butter
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Enough fresh bay leaves for as many potatoes you have
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Kelly's Aioli:

1 small red bell pepper

1/4 small purple onion

2 tablespoons cilantro

1 tablespoon of sliced pickled Jalepenos

1 clove garlic 

1/2 cup grape seed oil vegenaise (or mayo of choice)

Juice of 1/4 lime

Juice of 1/4 lemon

1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil 

A couple dashes of Chalula hot sauce (depending on how spicy you like it)

1/8 tsp cumin powder

1/8 tsp chili powder

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.

Immediately place your red bell pepper in the oven once it is up to temperature. Let the pepper roast until it blisters - should take about twenty minutes, then remove from the oven. Set aside to cool until you are ready to make the aioli.

Start by washing and drying off all of the potatoes.

Set the potatoes on a cutting board, and slice into each of them, side to side, making about one centimeter slices. Do not cut all the way through. The idea is the let the slices fan out while still being connected at the bottom.

Once all of the potatoes are sliced, set them on a nonstick cookie sheet.

Place a medium sized pot on the stove over medium-low heat.

Add the butter and olive oil to the pot.

Cook until all of the butter has melted into the olive oil.

Drizzle the butter/olive oil mixture over the tops of the potatoes, making sure it gets into the crevices. This will help to make the slices crispy when they cook.

Next, sprinkle the tops of the potatoes with the kosher salt. Then stick one bay leaf into the center slice of each potato.

Place the cookie sheet into the oven and allow the potatoes to cook for 40 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, make the aioli.

Slice up the roasted red bell pepper to cut away the stem, saving the red, charred flesh. That is what you will use for the sauce.

Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor.

Turn the blender on puree and allow all of the ingredients to combine until you have a thick sauce.

Pour the sauce into a serving dish and set in the fridge.

Once the potatoes have finished baking, remove them from the oven.

Use a spatula to scoop each potato from the cookie sheet and place it onto your serving platter.

Remove the aioli from the fridge and use a spoon to liberally drizzle the sauce over the potatoes.

Place the serving platter on your dinner table with a large serving fork. Set the sauce bowl next to it with a spoon so that your party guests can add extra aioli to their potatoes if they like.

*Make sure to remind everyone that the bay leaves are not for eating!* They should be removed from the potatoes once on everyone's dinner plates.

This is sure to be a crowd pleaser and the sauce is to die for! Speaking of the sauce - you are going to inevitably have some left over. It will keep in the fridge for about a week. Add it to a fish dish, pasta salad, or basically anything else you can think of because it's amazing and will improve any recipe!

Calamari with Garbanzos
Servies: 5
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon peppercorns

1 can garbanzo beans

1/2 pound squid tubes

1/8 cup olive oil

Juice of half a lemon 

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

 

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Start by roasting your peppercorns. Place them on a cookie sheet and stick it in the oven for five minutes. 

Remove from the oven after five minutes and place the peppercorns in your serving dish, along with the garbanzo beans. Set aside.

Next up - the squid. Our calamari cooking process begins with flash cooking the squid.

Place a medium pot filled 3/4 full with water on the stove over high heat.

While the water is coming to a boil, take the opportunity to do some prep work:

1. Set up a medium sized bowl with ice cold water next to the stove.

2. Thoroughly rinse the squid with fresh water.

3. Pre-heat your grill / grill pan to medium-high heat.

When the water has come to a boil, you are ready to flash cook the squid. 

Make sure you can see a clock from where you are standing at the stove. When the clock changes to the next minute, drop your squid into the boiling water. Let it cook for one minute - do not overcook! - before removing it with a slotted spoon and dousing it in the ice water.

You are literally just dunking the squid in the ice bath - do not let it sit in there. Remove the squid immediately and place it on your cutting board.

Cut the squid into slices, like so:

Toss the sliced squid with the olive oil.

By this time, your grill / grill pan should be up to temperature. Make sure to coat the pan with some cooking spray right before you add the squid. This will prevent the calamari from sticking while it's cooking.

Place the squid on the grill / grill pan. Use a spatula to stir it around on occasionally, cooking it for about one minute on each side. Remove it from the heat.

Add the squid to your serving dish and toss it with the garbanzo beans and peppercorns.

Drizzle the lemon juice over the dish and sprinkle it with the smoked paprika & chopped parsley. Toss.

Serve with some crusty bread and enjoy. 

Salute!

 

A special note of thanks

to Erica & Kelly

for sharing their recipes with us today!

Fried Green Samis

This recipe was drawn together from a few different sources of inspiration.

 

First, as I've mentioned, I recently started a new job. It's in the same general area as my previous jobs, but at the opposite end of the road. The end of the road with no good lunch places! I was spoiled rotten being at the other end of town - there were various fast food restaurants, mom-and-pop delis, sit-down restaurants, and plenty of healthy options. You know how obsessed with food I am, and I was in food-lovers heaven! Where I work now there are basically two options for lunch: Quiznos (sorry, but... bleh!) and a buffet/sandwich shop, which oddly enough, also serves sushi. Being that I'm not a fan of Quiznos, I have been making my daily lunch excursions and keep ending up at the buffet place. I pay by the pound for salad, various salad dishes, hot food, and the occasional tuna sub. It gets old. This week I was craving a good, harty sandwich, one like I used to be able to get at the good end of town! Since they aren't available anywhere at lunch time, I figured I would take the matter into my own hands, and make myself one for dinner. Craving solved.

 

OK, so I had the sandwich idea, now - what to put IN the sandwich. My mind wandered to a happy hour my neighbors and I had a few weeks ago at a new restaurant that opened in our 'hood. We sat in the bar area with the intention of trying some of their drinks and ordering some noshes from the bar menu. The first thing that jumped out at us were the fried green tomatoes. I LOVE fried green tomatoes! If they are on a menu, I order them. Unfortunately, these FGT left a lot to be desired. And by that, I mean they were awful. (Notice how I am purposely leaving out the name of this restaurant, and now you know why...) We managed to choke down two slices between three of us, and spent the night discussing how much better we could've made them at home! Given this experience, I decided it was time to prove myself right, and indeed make some FGT at home and include them in my sandwich recipe.

 

I had the sandwich, the main ingredient, and then I needed some condiments. A neighbor of mine had introduced me to a very simple yet delicious amuse bouche at one of our happy hours at home: you take a small spoonful of goat cheese and stuff it inside these hollowed out peppers - peppadews. The peppadews are spicy and the goat cheese helps to mellow them out. It's a great balance of flavors. Goat cheese goes really well with FGT and my sandwich could use a little spice, so I decided to add both of these things to my sami.

 

I picked up some ciabatta bread (you know, the kind that tears up the roof of your mouth as you're biting into it? Yes!) and remembered I had some baby spinach at home. My sandwich was coming together very nicely. This is a little on the heavy side for what I have been eating lately, but I figured that with the lack of sandwiches in my life due to inaccessibility during the work day, and the fact that I went for a long run before I made this sami, I could go ahead and indulge! And that I did!

 

Being that it's November, green tomatoes were difficult to come across at my local grocery store. I had to use what I could find - so I found the greenest tomatoes I could. I suggest you do the same if you're in an area with limited access to green tomatoes. Also, this recipe is vegetarian since I was making it for myself, but I couldn't help but think that some thick-cut, crunchy bacon would be an amazing addition to this sandwich if you happen to be a meat eater.

 

OK, let's get cookin'!

 

Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches

Servings: 1

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 7 minutes

 

The FGT

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

2 medium green tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

1/2 cup flour

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus an extra pinch

1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (FCBP)

1 egg

1 teaspoon sweetened condensed milk

 

 

Start by placing a non-stick frying pan on your stove over medium high heat and adding the 1/4 cup of EVOO. 

Allow the oil to heat up while you're coating your tomatoes in the egg bath and flour.

Before doing anything else, let's get a little prep work out of the way. You are going to want to drain the oil from your FGT after they cook, so get that set-up ready now. Place a paper towel or two over a dinner plate and set it beside your frying pan.

Now you are ready to get to work.

Lay two plates - one large, one small - side by side. Fill one with the flour, garlic powder, FCBP, and sea salt. Stir together.

On the other plate, crack the egg and use a fork to scramble it. Add the teaspoon of sweetened condensed milk and scramble that into the egg.

Douse each tomato slice in the egg bath, making sure to cover both sides...

Then place the slices into the flour mixture.

Flip each side over and use your fingers to completely coat the slices in the flour.

Gather all of the coated slices together on a plate so that they are ready for frying at the same time.

Test your oil to make sure it's ready for frying by placing the handle of a wooden spoon into it. If there are little bubbles streaming rapidly from the spoon, it is ready.

 

Place the slices of coated tomatoes into the oil.

They cook very, very quickly, so do not walk away or do anything else while they are in the oil. (And incidentally, do not wear a sports bra as your "shirt" when frying things - I had to learn that lesson the hard way! haha The oil pops out and burns your exposed skin!)

Flip them over after they have cooked on the first side for about 30 seconds. They should be golden brown.

Once they have cooked on the second side for 20-30 seconds, remove the slices from the pan and place them on your paper towel covered plate.

Sprinkle the top of the fried slices with a pinch of salt.

Set them aside to cool while you make the condiments and prepare to assemble the samis.

The Samis
10 peppadews
4 large basil leaves
4 teaspoons plain, soft goat cheese
1 handful baby spinach leaves
2 slices of ciabatta bread
1 teaspoon balsamic & EVOO dressing (I got mine from Tastefully Simple!)

Place a heavy skillet on the stove over medium heat. Allow the pan to get hot while you're assembling your sandwiches.

Start by making the first condiment: Add all of the peppadews and the basil leaves to a food processor.

Turn on the processor and let it chop the peppadews & basil leaves until they are minced, like a relish.

Next, lay your ciabatta slices on a flat surface.

Spread half of the goat cheese onto the inside of each slice of bread.

Next, spoon out some of the peppadew relish and spread it over the goat cheese on one or both sides of the bread. I only did one side, but after eating it I realized that I could use more spice and next time I would spread it on both sides of the bread.

Pile the fried green tomatoes on one side of the bread. I managed to get six slices on mine:

Layer the spinch atop the FGT.

Place the second slice of bread over the spinach and press it down with your hand.

Now it's ready for cooking.

Drizzle the balsamic/EVOO dressking into your skillet and spread it around. This will give a little extra flavor to the outside of your bread and also help to make it crispy while it's cooking.

Place the sandwich in the center of your skillet.

Use another heavy skillet or Dutch oven to set on top of the sandwich to press it down. We are essentially making a panini.

After the first side cooks for about three minutes, remove the top skillet/Dutch oven, and flip the sandwich over.

Replace the skillet/Dutch oven and allow the second side to cook for another three minutes.

Remove the skillet/Dutch oven and take the sami out of the skillet. It should be flattened and toasty. Place it on a cutting board.

Use a bread knife to cut the sandwich in half. How tasty does this look?!

Set it on your serving plate and eat immediately!

Salute!