Warm kitchen memories and figs...

There are certain things that always make me miss the south. Being a born and bred southern girl from Mississippi one of my best memories and joys, when it comes food this time of year is figs. I grew up with figs as something my Mom and Grandmother preserved and canned every year, then brought them out for special occasions and sometimes just because. When we moved to Maryland some years ago, one of the first things my Mom did was to plant fig trees, so we wouldn't miss that special treat.
I loved to sit and watch them cook up all the figs and stuff them hot into the Ball jars. It is a fun process that begins with picking the ripe figs, washing them and placing them in a large pot with equal amounts of sugar. The best preserves are made, for example, with 5 pounds of figs to 5 pounds of sugar. We also slice 2 whole lemons for the 5 and 5 mixture and add them to the pot with a cup of water. (You can of course use any combo you may have say 10 and 10)
Cook them on a low boil for around 1 hour or until they have cooked down as you like them to be. Some people like theirs almost still whole and others, like my family, like them cooked until they are rich and chunky and have a deep caramel color. This is a treat for anytime for me and my family. I also love having a supply in the pantry, when I want to take a special goodie to a friends for dinner, or it's a cool fall or winter Sunday morning. I will slide a pan of homemade biscuits in the oven, put a big pot of tea on the stove to brew and empty a jar of the richest, deep amber colored figs into a pretty bowl, feeling like I am in my Mom's kitchen and being hugged by the goodness of it all. It is something very special to me as I bite into the warm biscuit, smothered in the figs, and remember the little girl so excited to share the love that comes from the three generations of southern women and those very special figs.
Do you have special kitchen memories as a child? I would love to hear about them so please share them in the comments.

Fried Green Tomatoes...

I am so glad it is Friday! It was a great, but long week for me, and I am so ready to settle into a weekend, at home, doing some of my favorite things. Since I already have the house cleaned, it is going to be a fun time cooking favorite foods and watching old movies. First on the list, is to fry up a mess of fresh green tomatoes and re-watch, for I don't know how many times, the movie Fried Green Tomatoes. If you haven't seen it please check it out, it is really worth while watching and if you haven't fixed fried green tomatoes then now is the time. Yummy. I grew up on eating fried green tomatoes and Grandma and my Mom both made them slightly different then mine. Grandma would use lard and Mom would only use bacon fat. I will use bacon, if I have it, but half time I use equal parts of butter and vegetable oil. This weekend I am going for the bacon, it is something about the comfort food I feel I need, and give you Mom's recipe. I love it and I know you will too.

My Mama's Fried Green Tomatoes
Wash your green tomatoes off and dry with a soft cloth.
Slice them into nice thick slices a good half inch or more.
Salt and pepper them to taste on both sides.
While doing that fry your self up 6 to 8 slices of bacon.
Remove the bacon and leave the drippings in the frying pan. A good old black iron skillet would be perfect right now if you have one. If your bacon is very lean cook twice as much or add some vegetable oil to the drippings. You should have at least 1/2 to 1 inch fat in the pan.
In a low dish, like a pie plate, mix two lightly beaten eggs with a 1 1/2 cups of milk.
In a second low dish place one cup all purpose flour and one cup of corn meal. Note, I like to use bread crumbs half and half with the corn meal.
Add salt and pepper to the flour mixture to taste.
Take your thick slices of green tomatoes and dip them first, flip over while dipping, making sure to get the egg/milk mixture on both sides.
Then dip both sides in the flour mixture and make sure you have a good coating all around.
Lay them one at a time in the hot bacon fat and cook them at a medium heat on both sides until they are golden brown all over. They will get soft and tender in the middle and keep that wonderful green flavor.
Drain on a rack or on paper towels. I prefer the rack so they stay crispy longer.
Eat warm or room temperature since they are a great snack or side dish no matter the temp.

A plate of these crispy treats are always a comfort to me. They have a way of taking me back to Mama's old, round, wooden table in the kitchen, very hot southern, summer days and the sound of the fan spinning overhead. Fried green tomatoes are the stuff memories are made from.

Note: Crispy, fried green tomato photo from Southern Living. The best magazine for southern cooks.