B-L-(Fried Green)T

With a nod to Lulu's  (which is inaccessible to me most of the time, since it's in Charlotte, NC), it is time to bring the Bacon, Lettuce and Fried Green Tomato Sandwich to your table.

See, you put it on healthy bread,
then you have it ALL!

Remember these guys?

Fried Green Tomatoes in 10 Minutes Flat

Did you freeze any?  Time to break them out!

They are destined for a sandwich.

You need tasty bread, lettuce and Bacon!

Get you bread toasting, and do this with the bacon:

This is where you'll fry those tomatoes...
Does this mean it's a 1-Pot meal?

And THEN, the sandwich goes a little "choose your own adventure."

A little mayo on the bread is needed to keep the whole thing moist.  But what kind of mayo do you want?

1. Plain - great if you are in a hurry.

2. Garlic - crush a clove of garlic, and stir into a couple of tablespoons of mayo (garlic powder will also do in a pinch)

3. Spicy - stir Sriracha into mayonnaise at a ratio of 1 part Sriracha to 2 parts mayonnaise (so 1tsp Sriracha + 2 tsp mayo = 1Tbs Spicy mayo)

4. 2 & 3!  Spicy Garlic Mayo.

5. The most time consuming - pimento cheese instead of mayo (in addition to???)

Ingredients: - per sandwich

bread - 2 slices (or 3 for a club sandwich* if you are feeling fancy)
lettuce - the right amount
1-2 slices of bacon (depending of the thickness of the bacon)
1 large slice of dredged green tomato - frozen (or fresh, that's allowed too)
mayonnaise or sandwich spread of your choosing

Cook:

Heat up a skillet over medium high heat.
Get your bread toasting.
(mix up your fancy mayonnaise)
Fry your bacon until crispy, drain on a paper towel.  Leave the fat from the bacon in the pan.
In the rendered bacon fat, fry your tomatoes 3 min on each side.
Spread your mayo of choice.
Place the hot tomato directly on the bottom slice.

Assemble --> Bread - mayo - lettuce - bacon - tomato - (mayo) - bread.
If you are going the club sandwich route, you'll need to decide on your own arrangement.

*This is the audio from a Mitch Hedberg routine - nightclub ready, but not little people safe, and possibly not work safe either. 

Butternut Squash Pepper Poppers

The challenge: In my house, except for me, squash is OK, only as long as it tends towards the savory and not the sweet.  And crunchy is always preferred.

Hard, because butternut squash for me always reads creamy and sweet - butternut squash risotto with mushrooms and maybe a little bacon/spek/prosciutto/pancetta (you get the idea) is one of MY absolute faves.



So after making some soups - what to do that is squashy, but unexpected....



Fridge search reveals Trader Joe's "Peri Peri Peppadrops,"
 and pecorino cheese. (sweet, spicy, salty... on to something...)

Pine nuts of the new world
as far as I'm concerned.

And the pantry turns up bread crumbs and.... drum roll please... pumpkin seeds - the "pepita" kind.






Sage is invulnerable, and is out there doing just fine.  Leaves please...
but not too many or the whole thing will taste like SOAP!




The recipe:
This should make a nice platter at your next fall party!

Ingredients:
1 jar of the Peri-Peri Peppadrops
about 1lb of butternut squash cubes/wedges (pre cooked... see below)
1/2 C of bread crumbs - unseasoned
1/4+ C pepitas
2 oz Pecorino Romano grated fine (this comes out to over a cup on a microplane type)
3 - 6 sage leaves (depends on size) sliced into tiny ribbons and then chopped again (mined fine)
salt to taste
(oil - olive or other mild/neutral tasting)

Prep:
If your squash is not cooked, preheat the oven to 350.
Toss the squash it with a drizzle of oil & a sprinkle of salt, and bake it in the oven in peeled wedges or cubes no bigger than an inch thick for 20 - 40+ minutes depending on the squash.  Shake and turn it after 15 min to get an idea of how it is doing.  It is done when fork tender (a fork goes in easily.) AND it has some brown on the edges... you want the squash to get a little bit drier than normal for this one.

Use a melon baller to scoop leftover seeds out of the peppers.  Set them up on a tray.

When the squash is cool enough to handle, chop it/smash it into small bits.  Food mill, knife, potato masher or food processor all work (FWIW I used my food mill).
In a large bowl combine the bread crumbs, grated cheese and half the minced sage.
Add in the squash, taste for salt & sage.  If it needs more, add it now.  The flavors should be strong rather than subtle, but not overpowering.

Stuff them into the peppers, and at the last minute push about 3 pepitas into the center of the squash stuffing.

SERVE!  (With a nice bitter beer was one taster's suggestion...  I bet a tart chianti would be a good bet too.  I have to make them again and try...)

P.S. you can add the pepitas into the stuffing mix but they will lose their crunch fairly quickly.