Greek-StyleTomato Fritters

It is the first day of Fall and the skies here are grey and the air is cool, a good day to 'play' with my tomatoes. The long hot summer had my plants producing very well but I still ended up picking off many green tomatoes, both big and small and they are slowly ripening indoors. There are more than enough ripe tomatoes for experimenting with a few recipes. Greek-style Tomato Fritters are easy and delicious as a meal or a snack and also in a bun as a burger. These fritters are a good way to use up a few cups of ripe tomatoes or those that are a bit spotty, as you will be cutting them into finely chopped pieces for the fritters. Serve them with some horseradish mayo, hot sauce or Tzatziki along with a side salad......a perfect meal.

Greek-Style Tomato Fritters

The ingredients you will need.

The onion is grated.

The mint and parsley are finely chopped and smell amazing!

The tomatoes have been chopped finely and have been drained.

The dry ingredients are combined together.

All ingredients have been mixed together and are ready for cooking.

Into the hot oil they go....the kitchen smells wonderful.

Greek-Style Tomato Fritters ready for sampling.....enjoy.

GREEK-STYLE TOMATO FRITTERS RECIPE

11/2 cups, 4-5 large ripe tomatoes, finely chopped

1/2 cup feta cheese, mashed into small pieces

1/2 cup red onion, grated (or finely chopped)

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

oil for frying

Cut the tomatoes into small pieces and place in a colander with some salt.

Leave them to drain for 30 minutes.

Into a medium sized bowl, combine the drained chopped tomatoes, the onions and

mix with a spoon; add the herbs, and the feta cheese.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder.

Add the flour mixture to the tomato mixture and stir until the ingredients are combined and the mixture is firm enough to make patties.

Into a pan add enough olive oil to thinly cover the bottom, heat on medium high and slowly add a tablespoon of tomato mixture into pan and flatten with the spoon to form a thin patty.

Cook 2-3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned.

Place them on paper towels to absorb the extra oil.

Serve with Tzatziki, horseradish mayo, hot sauce or sauce of your choice.

You can make these appetizer size and serve as an appetizer or meal size and serve along with a salad.  They freeze very nicely so double the batch and save some for later!

'Let the healing power of your spirit run through your hand as you reach and touch another, but say nothing to the person you help. Learn to give invisibly. '

(unknown)

Concord Grape Filling

The feel of fall is in the air.....the nights are cooler....the mornings are covered with heavy dew. After our long dry summer it is a nice change and our plants are loving the extra moisture.
Grapes are being harvested and made into delicious goodies that will be sampled in the cooler days of Winter. My friends Dawn and Glyn have a beautiful Concord Grapes growing in their yard and each year invite me to enjoy some of their Concord Grapes, thank you for your generosity! I picked several five gallon pails and brought them home ( after sampling a few bunches while picking) and had fun experimenting with a few recipes.
I love the rich purple colour of the Concord Grapes and the health benefits they provide. Today I made a Concord Grape Filling that I will jar and seal to use in tarts, pies, serve over pancakes, waffles or crepes, it is not too sweet and would also be delicious over some Greek yogurt or vanilla ice cream. Simple and fast to prepare and would make very nice gift.

I encourage you to make a batch or two!

CONCORD GRAPE FILLING

The ingredients you will need.

The skins have been removed from the grapes

After cooking the pulp for 5 minutes the seeds are removed.

Discard the seeds

Add the grape skins to the pulp and cook simmer 20 minutes.

The colour is amazing, the smell....delicious!

Concord Grape Filling, Pudding, Ice Cream topping....your choice.

The Concord Grape Filling is poured into jars and processed, ready for you use.

SIMPLE CONCORD GRAPE FILLING RECIPE

6 cups ( approx. 7-8 large bunches) Concord Grapes, washed and stemmed.
2 cups sugar
6 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Remove skins from grapes and set aside. Put pulp into saucepan and bring to a boil,

reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
Pour pulp into sieve and remove seeds.

Discard seeds and pour the pulp back into the saucepan and add the grape skins.
In small bowl combine sugar and cornstarch, set aside.
Add lemon juice to grape pulp and stir in sugar/cornstarch mixture.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until thick, approximately 5 minutes.
To release the purple colour from the skins, mash with a potato masher after the first two minutes.
Pour into sterilized jars and seal.
Process in a water bath for 12 minutes.
Enjoy in tarts, pies, over cheesecake, pancakes or yogurt.

'Morning is God's way of saying one more time, Go make a difference, Touch a heart,

Encourage a mind, inspire a soul and enjoy the day.'

APPLE PICKLES......... Apples.....sweet, tart and so versatile.....Apple Pickles.....you bet!

Apple season is upon us,  the long hot summer we have has helped the apple crop to shine....  the apples are amazing. Thank you to my friends Tina and Geoff for sharing their apples with me so that I can share this post. I came across a recipe for these Apple Pickles, they are crispy, a bit sweet and a bit sour......reminds me of an apple pie in pickle form. Great as a snack, in a peanut butter sandwich or served with some perogies or a simple cheese soufflé. Make up a jar for your family and friends.
Happy September.

 APPLE PICKLES

 

 

The ingredients you will need.

 

 Apples are sliced and layered in a jar.

 

 The brine is ready for the apples.

 



 

 

 

Yum, can't wait to sample these.

 

Apple Pickles ready for family and friends!

 

APPLE PICKLES RECIPE

2-3 medium crisp apples

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

 Instructions

      Fill a 1-liter mason jar with apple slices.

   Combine cider vinegar with water, sugar, cinnamon, salt and ginger

 in a medium saucepan over high.

Stir until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot.

 Pour over apple slices, close lid and refrigerate overnight.

 Keep up to two weeks.

“If you're really listening,
if you're awake to the poignant beauty of the world,
your heart breaks regularly.
In fact, your heart is made to break;
its purpose is to burst open again and again
so that it can hold evermore wonders.”
~Andrew Harvey