Tomato Sandwich

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Tomato Sandwich

Things I Learned This Week Living In The South: 

1. If you find yourself in a cab with no way to pay the fare, you can pay with a pair of panties. And it's not dirty if you make the driver turn his head and not watch you take them off. Just leave them in door with the gum wrappers.  

2. Tomatoes are held in high regard here. Like false god status. I wish I were kidding but I am not. With tomato season comes tomato sandwiches, which I at first scoffed at, but have now had three in two days. 

3. Tomato sandwiches are best eaten with Bunny or Merita White Bread (think Wonder Bread but 1000 times better), Duke's Mayonnaise, and a garden fresh tomato. Salt and pepper to taste.  

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NEED MORE SOUTHERN BINGE EATING FUN? CHECK OUT ME RELATIONSHIP WITH BREAD PUDDING HERE

HERE IS THE BEST RECIPE FOR TOMATO SOUP EVER. I'M NOT LYING TO YOU.

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Braised Okra

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Braised Okra

There are few things that one seems to skirt around when living in The South. Race, religions other than anything Christian based, and select foods. Namely okra. People either love them or hate them. 

I personally love them. Fried. Sauteed. Charred. They are all good to me. Hands down fried is the best though. Let's be real. It's really a superfood in my eyes. Loaded with potassium, fiber, vitamin C, and calcium it's really the best thing you can possibly fry up. 

When poorly done, Okra can become slimy. Which is the largest thing it has going against it. And the one thing you always hear from okra's opponents. Nothing slimy in life is good.

So this week when okra showed up in my CSA I was rather pleased. Now my challenge was 1. how little I received and 2. how can make this healthy and tasty while wanting nothing more than to slice, bread, and fry the shit out of it. 

Naturally with one quick sesh with The Google I was able to find a recipe that looked like it could get me through the next round of Men's Gymnastics at Rio 2016.

BRAISED OKRA

RECIPE BY PETER G AT SOUVLAKIFORTHESOUL  

INGREDIENTS

500 grams fresh okra

2 T red wine vinegar

1/2 C olive oil

1 onion finely chopped

500 grams fresh pureed tomatoes or 1 can of pureed tomatoes

a handful of chopped, fresh, flat leaf parsley

salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash the okra and proceed to trim the pointy ends off.

2. Sprinkle with red wine vinegar and let them stand for one hour in a bowl. (once the hour has passed rinse them in cold water and drain)

3. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and saute the onion over a low heat until it softens.

4. Add the okra and toss in the olive oil/onion mixture for about 5 mins.

5. Add the tomatoes, parsley and season to taste.

6. Bring the mixture to a boil on med/high heat and then allow to simmer for approximately 20-30 mins on a low/med heat.

7. Once the okra is tender serve immediately with crusty bread.

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WANT TO READ MORE ABOUT MY CSA ISSUES? CHECK IT OUT HERE

REMEMBER THAT TIME I CRASHED A BABY SHOWER WITH CUPCAKES? HERE'S THE REFRESHER

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Tomato, Toasted Cheese and Total Strangers

Now that Winter has officially set in it's safe to assume that we are all packing on the Winter Weight in order to survive. If you're like me you've sent off the extra christmas cookies with anybody that walks by the house. Or you're also like me and just unhinged your jaw and took down the whole freezer bag of them because, "if I eat them all now or spaced out over the next month it's the same amount of calories". Who are we kidding?  Eat the damn cookies. But when they are gone it's time to CLEANSE!

And what better way than by working out!  

Did you just throw up a little? I did.

Unlike my gym minded landlord and roommate, I am not going to the gym. It's just too cold out. And I do not have the stamina to wait out those resolutioners who don't have the ability to watch ESPN and use the elliptical without falling off.  

So my cleanse is starting with my food intake.

Tonight's dinner option was brought to us by my friend, Lady O of Boston. This grande Italian duchess is mother to none other than my electronic pen pal Anastasia Beaverhausen. I have never met Lady O of Boston but totally believe that she is a deity of Italian descent who wears only 3" heels, red lipstick and bathes in olive oil. A few days back Ms. Beaverhausen was telling me that she was making her mother's famous homemade tomato soup. Being a sucker for Campbell's I had ventured to ask what made it so good.  Ms. Beaverhausen simply sent me the recipe. There was nothing to it. And it was reason to use my immersion blender. Buy one (you know you want to).

So one night this week as the roommate slaved away working at the dining room table I pretended to break a sweat in the kitchen making dinner for us. As stated above the weather has turned nip hardening cold and the recipe was mind numbingly easy. Last minute I decided to pair it with some grilled cheese croutons enrobed in parmesan.  Totally light in calories.

Seriously though. The soup is not bad for you. The worst thing is this massive quantity recipe is 2T sour cream and 1T sugar.  

"She's been making it since I was a little girl. I don't know where she got the recipe, but I love it." - Anastasia Beaverhausen

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Ofelia's Tomato Soup

ingredients

Butter

1 onion

2-3 carrots

2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp sugar (optional)

35 oz can of tomatoes (San Marzano, diced or crushed)

50 oz of chicken broth

2 tbsp of milk, cream, or sour cream

instructions

Sautée onion and carrots in butter until onions are translucent. Stir in flour until cooked through. Add tomatoes and broth (and sugar if you choose. I can never really tell the difference). Simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat, add dairy of your choice. Blend with immersion blender.

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