You Say Tomato, I Say Fried Green Tomatoes and Yellow Wax Beans

The farmers’ market that appears every Thursday and Sunday along Broadway is packed with local, seasonal fruits and vegetables that are certainly preferable to the insipid specimens found in John Jay. While many passersby might be tempted to pick up a carton of strawberries or a bunch of carrots in between classes, for the amateur student chef who no longer has a meal plan, there are more unusual and exciting options to be had.

Nestled between the potatoes and red peppers, a carton of pale green orbs sits inconspicuously in one stall. At first glance its contents seem to be Granny Smith apples, but appearances are deceiving—really, they’re green tomatoes without more than the faintest rosy blush. While some would question their desirability—why eat them now when they’ll be juicy and red in a matter of days?—green tomatoes actually have quite a history in Southern cooking. Lacking the acidity of fully ripened tomatoes, they’re touched with only a bit of sweetness, made up for by a good deal of crunch. Green tomatoes are also perfect in salsas and can star in soups.

The classic green tomato recipe, though, has to be fried green tomatoes—a Southern staple that can be easily replicated in any dorm kitchen, no matter how small. Although they work well as a side dish, perfect with anything Cajun, fried green tomatoes can also be made as an entrée, drizzled in olive oil or served with a scoop of tangy Greek yogurt. The tomatoes are sliced and dredged through a breadcrumb-based batter and given a kick with paprika, chili powder, and oregano. Fried in half an inch of oil, they’re mouthwateringly crisp on the outside, hot and softened on the inside, and sure to impress your ravenous roommate. The tomatoes will be in season for the next month, so make sure to get there before the first frost wipes them out.

Yellow wax beans are another unconventional produce item that is extremely easy to prepare. Like green tomatoes, yellow beans might appear to be unripe, fibrous, and undesirable to the untrained eye. Actually very similar to their string bean brethren, yellow wax beans are quite sweet and are best cooked for a very short time in order to maintain their crunchy consistency. While they can be substituted in any dish that normally calls for green beans, from pastas to curries, yellow wax beans work especially well in salads where their fresh flavor is allowed to shine.

A perfect yellow-wax-bean-centered salad for the transition between summer and autumn has to be a wax bean, pea, and chorizo mix. Small boiling onions, freshly de-podded peas, and yellow wax beans are all cooked for a short time until perfectly tender, their gentle sweetness cut by the spicy Spanish sausage, and sure to warm up the increasingly cool nights. Topped with Sherry vinegar, the salad can be served in small portions as a kind of homage to its Iberian tapas origins or tossed in a big bowl and made an entrée­—one more fast and easy recipe for anyone who wants a bite to eat before heading into the bowels of Butler for the night.

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Recipes

Fried Green Tomatoes
Adapted From Cookie Magazine
Makes 4-6 Servings

Ingredients:
4 large, firm green tomatoes, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup fine bread crumbs
1 teaspoon paprika or pimentón (a Spanish smoked paprika, available at latienda.com)
1⁄2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
2 eggs
Vegetable oil

Preparation:
1. Sprinkle the tomato slices with the salt and pepper and set aside
2. Combine the bread crumbs, paprika, chili powder, and oregano in a shallow bowl. In another bowl, beat the eggs.
3. Cover the bottom of a heavy skillet with 1⁄2 inch of oil, then place it over medium-high heat.
4. Coat the tomato slices in the egg, then dredge them in the bread crumb mixture.
5. Fry as many tomatoes as fit comfortably in the pan until nicely browned, about 2 minutes per side.
6. Transfer them to a paper-towel-lined platter. Repeat until all the tomatoes are cooked.

Wax Bean, Pea, and Chorizo Salad
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine
Makes 6 Small Servings or 2-3 Large Servings

Ingredients:
1⁄4 lb. boiling onions
1⁄2 lb. fresh peas in pods, shucked (1/4 – 1⁄2 cup)
1 lb. wax beans, trimmed
2 oz. Spanish chorizo (cured sausage; 5 inches long), peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced 1/8 inch thick
1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 cup Sherry vinegar

Preparation:
1. Cut an x in root end of each onion, then cook onions in an 8-qt. pot of boiling salted water (2 1⁄2 teaspoons salt for 5 quarts water) until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking (keep pot of water at a boil), then drain onions well. Discard any skins and squeeze onions at stem end so small layers slip out separately.
2. Boil peas until just tender, about 2 minutes, cooling and draining in same manner as onions, then wax beans, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer onions, peas, and beans to a large serving bowl.
3. Warm chorizo, oil, and vinegar in a heavy medium skillet over medium-low heat. Remove from heat. Add 1⁄2 tsp. salt and 1⁄2 tsp. pepper, then pour over vegetables and toss to coat.