Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 29, 1992 TAG: 9201280264
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TONI BURKS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES A HIT IN REAL LIFE, TOO
It didn't take long for the Florida Tomato Committee to recognize the publicity value of the recently released movie "Fried Green Tomatoes."The film takes place in a fictional town in Alabama where the main gathering place is a cafe that serves fried green tomatoes, among other food treats with a Southern drawl.
Anyway, if you were charmed by the movie and have never tried fried green tomatoes, you might want to fix the Dixie specialty at home.
And, no, you don't have to wait until summer to do so. The committee says that most supermarket produce managers will make green tomatoes available if a customer requests them. If greenies can't be found, you can use the firm pink tomatoes that are usually quite abundant during winter months. Here's the committee's recipe.
\ Fried green tomatoes
4 large green tomatoes (or firm pink ones)
1/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsps. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsps. bacon drippings
Cut tomatoes into 1/2-in. thick slices and set aside. Combine flour, sugar, salt and pepper. Use to lightly coat tomato slices on both sides. Heat bacon drippings in a large heavy skillet. Arrange tomato slices in a single layer in skillet. Fry until brown on both sides. Remove to a hot platter and repeat with remaining tomato slices, adding additional drippings if needed. Makes 6 servings.
\ MESSAGES FROM THE HEART If it's hearts you want on Valentine's Day, there are those traditional "conversation hearts," miniature heart-shaped candies that carry such messages of love as Be Mine, Kiss Me and Love You.
The custom dates back to the days of the American colonists,who made homemade confectionery with messages of love scratched on the surface. By the mid-1900s,candy-makers were preparing flavored heart-shaped sugar lozenges that were imprinted with words of love.
The National Confectioners Association estimates that more than 10 million pounds of these conversation hearts - totaling 3.2 billion minihearts - will be produced this year.
Figuring about 400 hearts per pound, the association says, these 3.2 billion sentimental sweets, laid heart to heart, would stretch 24,621 miles, going from Valentines,Va., to New York City 39 times. - Associated Press
\ HELP!!! DEAR SOS: I've lost my friend's Mrs. Field's chocolate chip cookie recipe and now I'm stuck. You'll save my friendship and my life if you replace it. - SHARON
DEAR SHARON: As you may know, the recipe circulating as Mrs. Field's cookie is a facsimile. Here's a version of the soft chocolate chip cookie. It's close.
Soft chocolate chip cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups oats
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
1 12-oz. pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
1 4-oz. bar milk chocolate, grated
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts
Cream butter and sugars in mixer bowl. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Combine flour, oats, salt, baking powder and soda in another bowl. Place small amounts in blender and process until mixture turns to powder. Mix butter-egg mixture with flour mixture just until blended. Add chocolate pieces, milk chocolate and chopped nuts. Roll into balls about the size of golf ball and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies. - Los Angeles Times
\ FREEBIES If you've been wanting recipes for some easy pies - like peanut butter pie, sweet potato pecan pie and cherry cheese pie - then whip out a pen and paper and write for a 20-page leaflet offered by Borden Inc. All the recipes feature Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk. For a copy of the leaflet, write Great American Pies, P.O. Box 9261, Clinton, Iowa 52736.
Recipes that present favorite chicken and turkey dishes in a lighter manner are showcased in a 12-page booklet from Perdue Farms. Write Perdue Light Classics, P.O. Box 2417LC, Salisbury, Md. 21802.
The National Potato Board has developed a new brochure with six recipes for potato dishes with international accents. Usage tips and microwave instructions are also included. For a copy, send a stamped, self-addressed, business-size envelope to The Celebrated Potato, National Potato Board, 1385 S. Colorado Blvd. Suite 512, Denver, Colo. 80222.
While most consumers think of citrus as the fruit of choice in winter, there are others who know that winter brings the best selection of major pear varieties. And if you'd like to know all the good things that pears contribute to a nutritious diet, send a stamped, self-addressed, business-size envelope to To Your Health, Oregon Washington California Pear Bureau, Dept. H, 813 SW Alder Suite 601, Portland, Ore. 97205.
What to do with dried tomatoes? Just about anything, from salads to sandwiches. Timber Crest Farms, which markets a variety of dried tomato products, has a new booklet with seven recipes and several quick tips. For a copy, write, call or FAX mailing information to Cooking With Marinated Dried Tomatoes, Sonoma Dried Tomatoes, 4791 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, Calif. 95448. Telephone: (707) 433-8251. FAX: (707) 433-8255.