Green "Baked Beans" with Bacon Jam

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs of fresh green beans (Thai yard long, runner beans, French green beans, etc.)

Juice from 1/2 lemon or lime

1-2 Tbs olive or canola oil

Kosher salt

2-3 Tbs Bacon Jam*

Method:

Wash green beans and trim stem-end. Cut to desired length, or keep long.  Place on a baking tray and toss with a little canola or olive oil. Squeeze the lime or lemon juice onto the beans, then season with salt and pepper.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 or 15 minutes, or until they are tender but still have a little crunch.

Remove from the oven and toss with the bacon jam. Serve immediately.

*You can make your own bacon jam with this great recipe from TheKitchn.com, or buy it fresh, locally- ready-made from Main Street Meats.

Perfect Grilled Corn On The Cob

Trim any loose husks from corn, and snip the tips to remove any parts that will be prone to burning or smoking. Do not pull husks away or remove silks from inside. There are some grilling methods that suggest removing the silks before cooking, however there are several reasons for leaving the silks intact for the cooking process. They are a natural source of nutrient-rich moisture and insulation that help keep the kernels from drying out under high heat. They also add flavor, but most importantly they are much easier to remove after the corn is cooked because the heat and steaming process cause the silks to stick to the husk, not the corn kernels.

Heat grill to medium-high heat and place corn on the grill and cook with the lid closed.  Turn the ears a quarter turn every 5 minutes or so, or until the outer husks have started to turn black in spots. Keep turning the ears until they have cooked all the way around. Move less often if you like having a few charred kernels, or more often if you want the corn to steam until tender with no black spots.

Once cooked, remove from the grill and let cool a few minutes, or until they are cool enough to handle.  To remove husks and silks, start at the tips of the corn. Grab one side of the silks and the husks at the same time and peel all the way down to the bottom (like peeling a banana). The silks should peel away cleanly with the husks.

To remove the husks from the cob once you have peeled all of the husks and silks, grab the bunch with one hand, holding the corn cob with the other, and break them off at the bottom of the cob.

For perfect summer flavor, serve with Toasted Garlic Drizzling oil and kosher or sea salt.

Fried Green Tomatoes With Sweet Pepper Sauce

Frying green tomatoes is a great southern tradition.  Every family seems to have their own special way of making them, but this recipe seems to satisfy the average southern traditionalist at the "how mom made them" standard. So if you are too impatient to let those tomatoes turn red on the vines, or you are having a craving for the tangy fried treat, this easy method should hit the spot.

Ingredients:

2-4 Medium sized, very firm, unripe green tomatoes

1 Large egg

2-3 Tbs water or milk

1/2 Cup cornmeal mix

1/4 Cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Canola oil for frying

Method:

Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in the bottom of a cast iron or heavy skillet on medium to medium-high heat. Place brown paper or a paper towel on a tray or plate and set aside.

For the traditional Appalachian-style dry batter: Whisk an egg and a couple of Tbs of water together in a bowl. In a larger bowl, combine the cornmeal mix, all-purpose flour, salt, and pepper. Slice tomatoes about 1/4 inch thick and dunk in the egg mixture to coat, then dust all sides well with the cornmeal mixture.  Shake off any excess cornmeal and place in the hot oil. Turn once, cooking both sides until golden-brown. Place on the paper to cool a bit, but serve warm.

A wet batter is traditional for some families, so here's the method for those if you prefer a thicker breading on your fried tomatoes: Mix the egg, milk, cornmeal mix, flour, salt and pepper together in a bowl to make a thick batter.  Drag the tomato slices in the batter until coated on both sides. Fry in the hot oil until crispy and browned.

Sweet Pepper Sauce:

1 Cup of oven roasted sweet peppers and onions*

Juice from 1/2 lemon or lime

1/4 cup canola or light olive oil

1/2 tsp paprika or smoked paprika

Salt to taste

Method:

Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth and thick.  Add a little water if necessary.

*To make the roasted peppers and onions, remove stems and seeds from sweet peppers, then slice.  Toss together with sliced yellow onion, a little oil and season with salt. Bake at 375 degrees until the peppers and onions have browned on the tips.

Bacon & Blue Tomato Pie

Filling:

3-4 lbs tomatoes (any variety: heirloom, cherry, or slicing tomatoes)

3-4 yellow onions

1 fennel bulb (optional)

Kosher or sea salt

Method:

Slice tomatoes. Discard any bad spots, fibrous cores, and stems. Place the slices between double layers of absorbent paper towel, sprinkling salt on the tomatoes before covering with the paper towels. You can stack up to three layers of tomatoes. Press gently to release some of the excess water inside the tomatoes. Let rest between the layers of paper towel for 30 minutes or so.

Slice the onions (and fennel if using) into thin wedges. Heat oil in a heavy skillet and saute for a few minutes.  Sprinkle a pinch or two of kosher salt over the onions (and fennel) and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat until they have browned and are quite tender and sweet.

Crust:

8 oz (by weight), or 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp fennel seed

Freshly ground black pepper

2 oz cold unsalted European-style butter

2 oz vegetable shortening

cold water

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Weigh or measure flour and seasonings in a medium sized bowl. Stir until combined evenly.  Cut the butter into small chunks or cubes. Add the butter and shortening to the flour mixture. With light fingertip pinches, begin to rub the flour into the fat until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Do not over-mix pastry dough, as it can make the crust tough. The fat should stay cold if possible, as the flour will absorb the melted fat and cause the texture of the crust to be too hard and chewy.

Once the fat is rubbed into the flour, add a couple of tablespoons of cold water to the mixture and stir with a fork. Add more water, one tablespoon at a time, until it begins to form a ball when stirred. Again, be careful to not over-mix or work the dough more than necessary.  The dough should be a little sticky, but not wet.

Turn the dough out onto a floured wooden board. Sprinkle a little flour over the top of the dough and shape into a flattened ball or circle with your hands. Make sure there is enough flour underneath to keep the dough from sticking to the board. Using a floured rolling pin, gently roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick.

Place the dough in a baking dish. Roll the edges inward, then pinch to shape the edge.

Gently press foil into the crust and fill with baking beans to weigh the crust while baking blind.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the crust is firm but not browned.  Remove from the oven. Discard the foil (but cool the beans and save for your next pie crust). Let the crust cool to room temperature.

Bacon & Blue Cheese Aioli:

2 Egg yolks

1 Clove of garlic

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1 Tbs white wine

1 Cup canola oil

About 1-3 oz of Sequatchie Cove Farm Battle Blue Cheese (can substitute Roquefort or Stilton)

1/2 lb Main Street Meats belly bacon, fried hard and crispy, then crumbled

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Place the egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice and wine into a blender and blend until smooth.  On medium speed, begin pouring the oil in a very slow stream into the egg mixture. It is important to pour the oil into the mixture very slowly in order for the emulsion to happen.  After about 5 minutes, and when you are getting to the end of the oil, the mixture will turn from a runny dressing to a creamy emulsion.  Turn the power off, then add about 1-2 oz of blue cheese and 1/2 of the fried bacon crumbles, then blend on low until it is just combined but still chunky. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Assembly & Baking Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spread onions and tomatoes in layers in the bottom of the prepared pie crust, then cover with the aioli.  Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the topping begins to brown. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Garnish with blue cheese and bacon crumbles.  Serve warm or cold.

Eggplant Lasagna

This is an exceptionally versatile dish, which can be made many ways to suit your taste or dietary needs. Essentially: Eggplant and spaghetti sauce go really well together. Traditional lasagna is a delicious comfort food, but often comes with a lot of fat, carbohydrates, and not enough protein or fiber to offer balanced nutrition. The version in the photograph has thin strips of eggplant instead of traditional lasagna noodles.  It also has no cheese, but is topped with a scrumptious mixture of grated squash, panko breadcrumbs, olive oil and herbs.  The result is a really delicious high-protein, high-fiber, lower-fat version of lasagna with a flavorful, crispy topping.

Ingredients:

Sauce:

If you have a lot of fresh tomatoes, or tomatoes canned from earlier in the year and want to use them, try this recipe for Fresh Tomato Marinara.  However, if you are using store-bought cans of tomatoes, this is a delicious, authentic Italian tomato sauce recipe:

28 oz can of good quality Crushed Tomatoes

6 oz can of good quality Tomato Paste

1 medium Yellow Onion, diced

6 cloves of Garlic, minced

3 Bay Leaves

1 cup Dry Red Wine

Kosher Salt

Freshly ground Black Pepper

1 Tbs Herbs De Provence or Kitchen Karma Mediterranean herb blend

1 lb grass-fed Ground Beef (optional)

Layers:

1 1/2 -2 lbs Eggplant, sliced into 1/8 th inch slices, lengthwise

Olive oil

Herbs De Provence or Kitchen Karma Mediterranean herb blend

Kosher Salt

1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs

1 medium zephyr squash or zucchini, grated or julienned (optional)

Method:

If using ground beef, place in a medium stock pot and break into small bits with a spatula or cooking spoon.  Season well with kosher salt, black pepper and herb blend.  Cook on medium-high heat, stirring often, until browned.

Add diced onion and minced garlic and cook one minute more. (If preparing a meatless recipe, saute onion and garlic with a little olive oil on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes.  Stir often and do not let the garlic scorch.)

Add the red wine, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and bay leaves.  Stir until combined, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for at least one hour, but longer if you have time.  Stir occasionally.  The longer the sauce cooks, the more complex the flavors will be.  Natural sugars in the wine, tomatoes and onions will sweeten the sauce with longer cooking times.  Shorter cooking time will produce a tangier sauce.

Tips:

After cooking the sauce, remove from heat and let rest for one hour before assembling the lasagna. Letting the sauce rest will improve the flavors.  Cooking one day ahead, refrigerating the sauce, then layering the lasagna on the second day will also produce a very flavorful sauce.

Layering:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place slices of eggplant on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with a little oil on both sides.  Season with a little kosher salt.

Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the slices have dehydrated a little and begin to brown.  remove from the oven and let cool.

In a high-sided baking dish, put a layer of meat sauce or marinara in the bottom of the dish.  Top with a layer of eggplant, then meat, etc.  When you run out of eggplant, cover with a layer of sauce.

Mix together the grated squash, breadcrumbs, a little olive oil, and seasonings.  Spread the mixture on the top of the lasagna.  Bake in the center of the oven for about 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes before serving.