Paula's Harvest Recipes, 2006
Wine and Food Pairings by Paula Getzelman, Chalk Ridge Vineyard.
We're so lucky that we can grill almost 365 days here in the San Antonio Valley! And if you're like so many this year, you still have a lot of green tomatoes on your vines that haven’t ripened. When you have friends coming for dinner and you want to share the cooking chores with the guys, here's a menu that allows you to do a lot of the preparation ahead of time, let the men grill the ribs and use up some of those green tomatoes, too!
I like to serve Syrah with this menu...the spicy, peppery notes pair well with the spices in the ribs, and it's not too overpowering for the Spaghetti Squash Pancakes and the Fried Green Tomatoes.
Grilled Dry Ribs
Fried Green Tomatoes
Spaghetti Squash Pancakes
Caesar Salad with Polenta Croutons
Apple Squares
GRILLED DRY RIBS, Serves 6
4 cups white distilled vinegar
4 cups water
1/3 cup Seasoning Rub
2 slabs pork loin back ribs (approximately 2 pounds each)
Seasoning Rub Recipe
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup pepper
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. oregano
1 T. celery seed
1 T. paprika
1 T. chile powder
Mix vinegar, water and seasoning together to make basting sauce.
On a hot grill, start ribs bone side down, until bone side is golden brown. Baste 2 times with basting sauce then flip slab and cook meat side down until this side reaches a nice golden brown.
Baste again and sprinkle with dry Seasoning Rub; cut into individual servings.
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, Serves 6
4 large firm green tomatoes
Salt
2 cups vegetable or peanut oil, for deep-frying
1 cup half & half (or milk)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
Salt & pepper
onion powder
cayenne, if desired
Slice the tomatoes 1/4-inch thick. Lay them out in a shallow baking pan lined with paper towels; sprinkle tomato slices with salt. Allow approximately 30 minutes for for the salt to pull the water out of the tomatoes. Drain tomato slices on fresh paper towels to dry.
In a skillet, heat the oil for deep-frying over medium high heat. Mix the flour, cornmeal, salt-pepper-onion powder and cayenne together in a shallow dish. Dip the tomatoes into half & half, then dredge them in the seasoned flour/cornmeal mixture. Deep-fry until golden brown. Place in a single layer on a rack in a warm oven until ready to serve.
HINT: Best served as soon as possible after frying.
SPAGHETTI SQUASH PANCAKES, Serves 6
4 cups spaghetti squash, cooked
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup grated red onion
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 T. butter or olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
sour cream for garnish
Mix squash with onion, salt, and pepper. Fold in flour, cheese and beaten egg. Mix well, using a couple of forks.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Spoon 1/4 cup squash mixture into prepared skillet. With a fork, press to form an evenly thick cake. Repeat to fill skillet. Cook cakes until bottoms are lightly browned, turn over and brown second side. Continue until you've used all the squash mixture.
Keep the cakes already made warm in an oven set at its lowest temperature until you are ready to serve. Use additional butter or oil as necessary for cooking. Sprinkle pancakes with salt and pepper and serve with sour cream and/or apple sauce.
CAESAR SALAD WITH POLENTA CROUTONS, Serves 6
Dressing:
3 cloves garlic
4 anchovy fillets, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 T. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Finely chop the garlic and anchovies in a food processor. Blend in the lemon juice and mustard. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the dressing, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Polenta Croutons:
1 tube prepared Polenta (or make your own)
Vegetable oil, for deep frying
Cut the polenta into 3/4-inch cubes. Pat the polenta cubes dry with paper towels. Add enough vegetable oil to a heavy large frying pan to come 1-inch up the sides of the pan. Heat the oil over high heat. Working in batches, add the polenta cubes to the oil 1 at a time and fry until golden brown, stirring to keep the cubes separate, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the polenta croutons to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil. (The dressing and polenta croutons can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover the dressing and polenta croutons separately and refrigerate. Re-warm the polenta croutons on a baking sheet in a 350 degrees F oven before serving.)
Salad:
3 small heads (or 2 large heads) romaine lettuce, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 1/2 oz. shaved Parmesan
Cut the lettuce into bite-size pieces. In a large serving bowl, mound the chopped lettuce. Decoratively scatter the sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts. Drizzle with enough dressing to evenly coat. Sprinkle Parmesan and scatter the warm polenta croutons over and serve.
APPLE SQUARES, Serves 9
5-6 apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot water
Place apples in a medium blow. Sprinkle sugar over, and then hot water. Mix well until sugar dissolves. Turn apples into an 8"x8" baking dish. In another mixing bowl, place the following ingredients:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
Pour this mixture over the apples. Then drizzle with 1/2 cup melted butter. Bake in 350 degree oven about 45 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
We're so lucky that we can grill almost 365 days here in the San Antonio Valley! And if you're like so many this year, you still have a lot of green tomatoes on your vines that haven’t ripened. When you have friends coming for dinner and you want to share the cooking chores with the guys, here's a menu that allows you to do a lot of the preparation ahead of time, let the men grill the ribs and use up some of those green tomatoes, too!
I like to serve Syrah with this menu...the spicy, peppery notes pair well with the spices in the ribs, and it's not too overpowering for the Spaghetti Squash Pancakes and the Fried Green Tomatoes.
Grilled Dry Ribs
Fried Green Tomatoes
Spaghetti Squash Pancakes
Caesar Salad with Polenta Croutons
Apple Squares
GRILLED DRY RIBS, Serves 6
4 cups white distilled vinegar
4 cups water
1/3 cup Seasoning Rub
2 slabs pork loin back ribs (approximately 2 pounds each)
Seasoning Rub Recipe
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup pepper
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. oregano
1 T. celery seed
1 T. paprika
1 T. chile powder
Mix vinegar, water and seasoning together to make basting sauce.
On a hot grill, start ribs bone side down, until bone side is golden brown. Baste 2 times with basting sauce then flip slab and cook meat side down until this side reaches a nice golden brown.
Baste again and sprinkle with dry Seasoning Rub; cut into individual servings.
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, Serves 6
4 large firm green tomatoes
Salt
2 cups vegetable or peanut oil, for deep-frying
1 cup half & half (or milk)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
Salt & pepper
onion powder
cayenne, if desired
Slice the tomatoes 1/4-inch thick. Lay them out in a shallow baking pan lined with paper towels; sprinkle tomato slices with salt. Allow approximately 30 minutes for for the salt to pull the water out of the tomatoes. Drain tomato slices on fresh paper towels to dry.
In a skillet, heat the oil for deep-frying over medium high heat. Mix the flour, cornmeal, salt-pepper-onion powder and cayenne together in a shallow dish. Dip the tomatoes into half & half, then dredge them in the seasoned flour/cornmeal mixture. Deep-fry until golden brown. Place in a single layer on a rack in a warm oven until ready to serve.
HINT: Best served as soon as possible after frying.
SPAGHETTI SQUASH PANCAKES, Serves 6
4 cups spaghetti squash, cooked
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup grated red onion
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 T. butter or olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
sour cream for garnish
Mix squash with onion, salt, and pepper. Fold in flour, cheese and beaten egg. Mix well, using a couple of forks.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Spoon 1/4 cup squash mixture into prepared skillet. With a fork, press to form an evenly thick cake. Repeat to fill skillet. Cook cakes until bottoms are lightly browned, turn over and brown second side. Continue until you've used all the squash mixture.
Keep the cakes already made warm in an oven set at its lowest temperature until you are ready to serve. Use additional butter or oil as necessary for cooking. Sprinkle pancakes with salt and pepper and serve with sour cream and/or apple sauce.
CAESAR SALAD WITH POLENTA CROUTONS, Serves 6
Dressing:
3 cloves garlic
4 anchovy fillets, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 T. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Finely chop the garlic and anchovies in a food processor. Blend in the lemon juice and mustard. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the dressing, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Polenta Croutons:
1 tube prepared Polenta (or make your own)
Vegetable oil, for deep frying
Cut the polenta into 3/4-inch cubes. Pat the polenta cubes dry with paper towels. Add enough vegetable oil to a heavy large frying pan to come 1-inch up the sides of the pan. Heat the oil over high heat. Working in batches, add the polenta cubes to the oil 1 at a time and fry until golden brown, stirring to keep the cubes separate, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the polenta croutons to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil. (The dressing and polenta croutons can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover the dressing and polenta croutons separately and refrigerate. Re-warm the polenta croutons on a baking sheet in a 350 degrees F oven before serving.)
Salad:
3 small heads (or 2 large heads) romaine lettuce, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 1/2 oz. shaved Parmesan
Cut the lettuce into bite-size pieces. In a large serving bowl, mound the chopped lettuce. Decoratively scatter the sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts. Drizzle with enough dressing to evenly coat. Sprinkle Parmesan and scatter the warm polenta croutons over and serve.
APPLE SQUARES, Serves 9
5-6 apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot water
Place apples in a medium blow. Sprinkle sugar over, and then hot water. Mix well until sugar dissolves. Turn apples into an 8"x8" baking dish. In another mixing bowl, place the following ingredients:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
Pour this mixture over the apples. Then drizzle with 1/2 cup melted butter. Bake in 350 degree oven about 45 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
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