Savannah Tomato Sandwiches

In past 16 years of catering parties and events, I can't tell you how many of these delectable sandwiches I've made; thousands of them? Not sure. But one thing for sure, they are delicious! Simple and so Southern, and they'll brighten up any gathering.


Using a biscuit cutter, about the same diameter as the tomatoes, cut bread rounds. You can use white, wheat, rye, or any types of bread you would like. I usually use white and wheat for color variations. These can be done a few weeks ahead. Put a plastic wrap between each layer to avoid bread rounds sticking, cover well and freeze. **Use the bread remnants for fresh bread crumbs, bread pudding, or my chickens love these as snacks!




A proper Southern lady would never get caught having tomato skin stuck to their teeth, so we are going to take a few extra minutes to take the skins off the tomatoes.


Bring water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Using a paring knife, score "x" on the smooth side of tomatoes. Gently drop the tomatoes in boiling water, be careful of splashing! Blanch tomatoes for 30 seconds or so until you see tomato skin begin to peel. Do not over blanch.

Immediately plunge tomatoes in ice water to stop from cooking. Do you see how the skins are cracked and ready for peeling? The skins should come right off or use the paring knife to peel.


Slice the tomatoes and let drain on several layers of paper towels. Cover and store in fridge until ready to assemble (can be prepped a day head).

Keep bread rounds frozen until ready to assemble. Do not thaw; it is much easier to handle the rounds when assembling. Use extra paper towels and dab extra tomato juice before assembling sandwiches. Plastic storage bag can be used as a piping bag to put sauce on quickly.

Tomato Sandwiches can be made up to three hours ahead. Cover well with plastic wrap so bread rounds won't dry out. So beautiful and delicious!

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Savannah Tomato Sandwiches with Basil Aioli

Yields 16 Sandwiches

4 Medium size vine ripe tomatoes

16 Slices of white bread

16 Slices of wheat bread (or other bread slices of your choice)

1 cup Basil Aioli Sauce (see recipe below)

1. Using a biscuit cutter, about the same diameter as the tomatoes, cut bread rounds. Put plastic wrap between layers and store in freezer until ready to assemble.

2. Bring water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Prepare a large bowl of ice water, set it aside. Using a paring knife, score "x" on the smooth side of tomatoes. Gently put tomatoes in boiling water; be careful of splashing hot water! Blanch tomatoes for 30 seconds or so until you see tomato skin begin to peel. Do not over blanch.

3. Using a slotted spoon, take tomatoes out and immediately plunge tomatoes in ice water to stop from cooking. Peel the skin using a paring knife, if necessary.

4. Slice the tomatoes (one tomato yields about 4 nice, thick slices) and let drain on several layers of paper towels. Cover and store in fridge until ready to assemble (can be prepped a day head).

5. When ready to assemble, lay frozen bread rounds, spoon or pipe sauce on, pat excess juice out of tomato slices with paper towels before laying on top of sauce, then top it with second bread round. Finish assembling and cover well with plastic until serving time.

Basil Aioli Sauce:

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream (or softened cream cheese)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon grated garlic
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1/8 teaspoon salt, or more

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, season well with salt. Set aside or refrigerate in a plastic storage bag until ready to assemble sandwiches.

Make Ahead Tips:

Up to two weeks prior: Cut bread rounds, cover well and freeze

Up to 3 days prior: Make Basil Aioli, store in zip lock bag, refrigerate

1 Day before: blanch tomatoes, peel skins, slice, cover well and store in refrigerator.

4 hours prior to event: begin assembling sandwiches, cover well with plastic wrap; can be stored in refrigerator or room temperature.

Herb Pesto

In the IPC Kitchen, pesto is used quite frequently to flavor just about everything we serve for lunch. Traditionally, a mortar and pestle were used to crush fresh basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, cheese, and olive oil. However, with the use of a food processor, you can easily prepare a delicious pesto with unlimited variations.

Here are some samples of food we prepare using herb pesto:

Pesto chicken and shrimp pizzas


Pesto chicken breast for sandwiches or to top on salads


Pesto added to remoulade for fried green tomatoes

To achieve creamy texture, process fresh herbs, kosher salt first, then add pine nuts, and olive oil.

Add a little mayo, sour cream, and prepared horseradish and you have fantastic sauce for sandwiches.

Fried green tomato BLT with pesto aioli.

Orzo salad mixed with pesto and fresh vegetables

Pesto Crusted Pork Loin

And pesto quiche


Pesto can be made and frozen in ice cube trays for easy use.

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Herb Pesto

Makes 1 Cup

2 cups packed fresh herbs such as basil, cilantro, Italian parsley, or combination of these herbs

1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, extra if freezing
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan or your favorite hard cheese

Freshly ground black pepper and extra salt, to taste

Combine the herb and kosher salt in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add garlic, pine nuts and process a few quick pulses. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with pepper and extra salt if needed.

If using immediately, add all the remaining oil and pulse until smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl and mix in the cheese.

If freezing, transfer to an air-tight container or ice cube tray; drizzle a little oil over the top. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and stir in cheese.

Note: Try adding parsley to your basil pesto to give it a vibrant green color

Simple Bolognese Sauce and Hunter Cattle Co.

I had the pleasure of visiting my friends at Hunter Cattle Co. in Brooklet, Georgia. It was so great to re-connect with Debra Ferguson and family again after many years. Their lives are wonderfully busy with children, grandchildren, cattle, and chickens on their 350-acre ranch.

Hunter Cattle Co. is a family owned and operated ranch, specializing in grass-fed beef. Grass-fed beef is as lean as wild elk or deer. And compared to grain-fed beef, it is four times higher in Vitamin E, six times more of Omega-3 fatty acids, and has fewer calories. But who's counting? It's just so tasty and healthy for you.

Hunter Cattle Co.'s newly opened storefront is filled with family photos and heirlooms.

The store also carries local and organic honey, dairy, pastas, and chicken.

A newly born calf only a few days old.

All their cattle are raised and finished on grass with no hormones, steroids, or antibiotics.

Their ground beef had much brighter red color with smaller speckled fat.

Sauté chopped onions in olive oil first, then add herbs and garlic. Add ground beef.

When it begins to brown, add milk. I know, know...it seems weird to do this, but milk makes ground beef tender and the finished sauce is wonderful.

Then add some white wine for great flavor.

Add canned tomatoes and a few dried bay leaves. Then simmer, uncovered until liquid is reduced for about 2-3 hours.

Serve on spaghetti topped with oven roasted onions.

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Simple Bolognese Sauce
Serves 8-10

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium minced onion

1 teaspoon oregano, dried

1 teaspoon basil, dried

1/2 teaspoon pepper flakes

3 whole cloves fresh garlic, grated
2 pound ground beef chuck
1 teaspoon table salt

1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes , packed in juice, chopped fine, with juice reserved

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 dried bay leaves

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat olive in large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat; add onion, dried herbs, and pepper flakes and sautè until softened but not browned, about 6 minutes. Add garlic. Add ground meat and 1 teaspoon salt and crumble meat with edge of wooden spoon to break apart into tiny pieces. Cook, continuing to crumble meat, just until it loses its raw color but has not yet browned, about 3 minutes.

2. Add milk and bring to simmer; continue to simmer until milk evaporates and only clear fat remains, about 10 minutes. Add wine and bring to simmer; continue to simmer until wine evaporates, about 10 minutes longer.

3. Add canned crushed and chopped whole tomatoes and their juice and bring to simmer; add dried bay leaves, reduce heat to low so that sauce continues to simmer just barely, with an occasional bubble or two at the surface, until liquid sauce is very thick, about 2 1/2 -3 hours.

4. Adjust seasonings with extra salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and serve over hot pasta of your choice. (Can be refrigerated in an airtight container for several days or frozen for several months. Warm over low heat before serving.)

Hunter Cattle Company
430 Driggers Rd.
Brooklet, Ga. 30415

Phone: 912-823-BEEF

email: grassfed@huntercattle.com

Quinoa Salad with Cucumbers and Feta (The Spirit of Food)

Jeremy Clive Huggins is a contributing writer of Cardus and the owner of Rewordsmith. He is a writer of over 50 published essays and articles, creator, editor, and publisher of various journals. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University(MFA of Literary Nonfiction)

and Covenant Theological Seminary (M.Div) with a focus on cultural apologetics and homiletics and the winner of the 2002 Robert G. Rayburn Homiletics Prize.

His essay, The Church Potluck, Seriously in The Spirit of Food, was thought provoking and humorous. And this was one delicious dish.

Recipe by Margie Haack of ToadsDrinkCoffee

I used both red and white (hulled) quinoa. Don't you love the contrasting colors?

This aged balsamic vinegar from Low Country Gourmet Foods in Savannah, was a generous gift from a dear friend. It had a great balance of acidity and a slight sweetness. I have been saving this for a great recipe like this one.

Salad should be made at least two hours ahead for the flavors to blend.

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Quinoa Salad with Cucumbers and Feta Cheese

Recipe of Margie Haack of Toads Drink Coffee

Contributed by Jeremy Clive Huggins

1 1/2 cups quinoa (red, white, or combination of both)

3 cups water

1 large (or two smallish) cucumber(s), peeled, quartered lengthwise, and chopped

1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped

1/4 cup scallion, sliced thin

1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill, cilantro, or parsley

1/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced or left whole (optional)

2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 1/2 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse quinoa well before cooking to remove slightly bitter coating.

Place quinoa and water in a pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Place in a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, combine chopped vegetables including chopped herbs of your choice.

Add quinoa, olives, and cheese and gently mix.

Add dressing, gently toss again, adding more salt and pepper if needed.

Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours to allow flavors to blend.

Garnish with fresh herbs or sliced tomatoes and olives.

3 of 31 Recipes

Chinese Chicken Salad

This past Sunday, our Sunday fellowship meal menu was very simple:

Shrimp Fried Rice (click here for recipe)

Chinese Chicken Salad

Garden Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Watermelon Slices

Lime Cheesecake

I don't need to go too far to get the most honest opinions whenever I try something new on my church family. My four children can give me the best critique on the newest dish with no hesitation whatsoever! My two older teens in particular have such developed palates that they can pick out certain spices or flavors by name. I am guilty of that.

Every Sunday night, driving home, my standard question is "How was the dinner for you and your friends tonight?" And they will give me the run down of every dish I served.

When it came to Chinese chicken salad, my first child was somewhat cautious and said, "It had a strange taste like cinnamon and I don't think kids liked it". Chinese five spice powder contains cinnamon and clove.

Even though many adults told me how much they loved this salad, I realize that it wasn't the favorite for the children! Oh well, I'll try something else next time, but I am glad the church children got to try something new!

You will need Hoisin sauce, Mung beans or threads, and Chinese Five Spice powder which can be purchased from Asian food section of your grocery store or the Asian market.

Mung beans are deep fried just for a few seconds. Do you see the utensil I am using? It's called an Asian Spider Skimmer and it is one of the most useful tool for frying. Click here for more info.

I mixed the fried mung bean threads and chicken mixture together when serving for the sake of convenience for a large crowd, but at home, you can serve it like the photo above on a bed of fried beans for a spectacular presentation.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Serves 10-12

Dressing:

3 Tablespoons Hoisin Sauce

1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder

2 teaspoons sesame seed oil

1 teaspoon dry mustard

3 teaspoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

4 Tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed

Salad:

1 whole cooked rotisserie chicken (2 1/2 pound), regular seasoning (not bbq or lemon pepper),

dark and white meat hand shredded into 2" shreds

1 teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder

1 package 5 oz Chinese mung beans

(also called Chinese vermicelli, rice threads, or bean threads)

3 Cups of vegetable oil for frying mung beans

1 medium head of iceberg lettuce, julienne fine

4 green onions, cut into 1 1/2" pieces and julienne lengthwise

2 cups cilantro, leaves only, washed and dried

3 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, black or white

optional: Colored bell peppers julienne to add color

Take all dressing ingredients and mix well, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Gently toss shredded chicken meat with 1 teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder. Set aside.

Remove mung beans from package and break up or pull apart into manageable pieces. Do this over a large bowl or dried sink or you will have pieces of brittle mung beans all over the kitchen floor!

Heat 3 cups of oil in wok or large cast iron fryer to 375 degrees F. Place a handful of mung beans into oil, when they puff, turn over immediately and fry the other side, all in 3 seconds! They will puff up 5 times the original size of dried beans so be careful not to put too much in the oil at one time. Drain on wire rack and fry the remaining.

About 10 minutes before serving, in a large bowl, to dressing over shredded chicken and greens and mix well. Add sesame seeds. Then gently fold in fried mung beans. Reserve some to make a nest over a large platter and put mixed salad on top.

Serve immediately. This salad is best when fried beans are crispy and crunchy.

Red Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Quinoa (KEEN-wah) are technically seeds in the herb category but classified as grains. They were an important source of food for the ancient Incas, and have been wildly popularized here in US for their beautiful color and wonderful texture.

Over one-third of my church family consists of youth and children under 18 years of age (a sign of healthy, vibrant church!), and sometimes I am somewhat hesitant to introduce foods too unfamiliar to this younger group. But, I sighed a short prayer and gave this a try for our Sunday evening fellowship meal, which was well attended by 300-some people.

My heart was so glad to see children coming back for seconds! Children can be the best food critics, and I think you will enjoy this beautiful salad, too!

There are white and red Quinoa available at local health food stores. I chose red for its vibrant color!

To achieve a fluffy texture, Quinoa must be boiled in salted water first and then steamed. Put boiled Quinoa in a cheese cloth and steam in colander placed over a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes. See how the red color is retained after cooking?

Rinse and drain black beans, fresh corn kernels, green onions, cilantro, tri-colored peppers, jalanpenos, and red Quinoa to make this colorful dish!

This salad was served with beef tacos, guacamole, and all the taco fixin's . Elvis Cream Pie (will post later) completed the meal, and everyone went home with their spirits well nourished from good preaching and their tummies satisfied. What a great way to end the Lord's Day!

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Red Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Serves 4-6

1 1/2 cups red quinoa

1 Tablespoon salt, add when boiling quinoa
1 can black beans, 14 oz, rinsed, and drained
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 2 large ears)
1 cup finely chopped colored sweet peppers, red or orange or any combination
1 jalapeño chilies, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions

For dressing
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 clove of garlic, grated
1 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/3 cup olive oil
Freshly ground pepper to taste

In a small bowl whisk together lime juice, salt, minced garlic, chopped cilantro, and cumin and add oil in a stream, whisking. Add pepper to taste. Set aside.

In a large bowl wash quinoa in at least 5 changes cold water, rubbing grains and letting them settle before pouring off most of water, until water runs clear and drain in a large fine sieve.

In a medium size pot, add 1 tablespoon of salt to 1-1/2 quarts of boiling water and cook quinoa 10 minutes. Prepare colander with cheese cloth over and drain quinoa into cheese cloth.
Add 2 inches of water into the pot and bring water to boil. Cover cooked quinoa with the edges of cheesecloth and cover with a lid , steam for additional 10 minutes. Do not let quinoa touch water. Fluff quinoa with a fork and cool.

Combine in a large mixing bowl, beans, and remaining vegetables, herbs, and cooled quinoa. Toss gently with dressing. Can be prepared a day ahead for flavors to combine. Serve room temperature.

Savannah Spring Rolls

Living in Savannah, Barbecue is very much a part of the southern lifestyle and cooking culture. So, I decided to give the Vietnamese Spring Roll a southern makeover. Smoky, pulled pork and local Georgia shrimp is paired with a ginger infused BBQ sauce to create a unique Savannah style roll.

Prepare your ingredients: Pulled pork, deveined and cooked shrimp, shredded red leaf lettuce, cilantro, finely julienne green onions, and carrots finely julienne for color. You can also use sprouts or any other veggies you like.

In lukewarm water, dip spring roll wrapper for 2 to 3 seconds. Yes, I mean it! Only few seconds. If you soak the wrapper too long, it will be very limp and very hard to roll. The wrapper should be stiff but completely wet.

Fold in the wrapper into thirds, with both sides over lapping. The wrapper will be stiff, which is good!

Starting from the bottom of the wrap, line your ingredients and place shrimp about an inch below where you will finish wrapping (hey, I see a face!)

At this point, your wrapper will be softer and pliable. Begin the roll, making sure the fillings stay together and roll is nice and snug. Finish rolling, ensuring two shrimp are tucked in with tails hanging out on both open ends. Cover the the rolls with damp paper towel while rolling several more.

Right before serving cut the rolls in half. These rolls are tastiest right after they are rolled. Invite your guests in your kitchen and have a rolling party!

Place cut side down so the rolls are standing up with shrimp beautifully exposed.


Serve with your favorite sauce or here is a very simple barbecue sauce with fresh ginger.

Savannah Spring Rolls

Makes about 20 whole rolls (40 appetizers pieces when cut)

1/2 pound Pulled Pork, shredded not chopped

1 pound medium shrimp, deveined, cooked and peeled (31-40 count shrimp)

2 cups red leaf lettuce, finely sliced

3 Green Onions, cut into thirds and julienne thinly lengthwise

2 carrots, peeled, julienne very thinly (if you own a Japanese Mandolin Slicer, this is a great time to use it)

1 cup cilantro leaves, washed

25 Basil leaves, washed

Mint leaves if desired

1 package of Rice Paper, 12 oz package contains about 35 rice papers, purchased at Asian Market

Luke warm water in a shallow dish big enough to soak rice papers

Dip the rice paper in lukewarm water for 2-3 seconds. Place the wet rice paper on the cutting board and fold them in thirds, overlapping two sides. Place your meat and prepared veggies on the third bottom of the paper and begin rolling. Before finishing the roll, place two shrimp with tails out of the edges, finish rolling, carefully tucking the thick half of the shrimp. Cover the roll with damp paper towel.

Roll several more. When ready to serve, cut the roll in half. Place the cut side on the plate. Garnish with mint, basil, or cilantro leaves. Serve immediately with your favorite sauce.

Ginger Barbecue Sauce

1/2 Cup Cattleman's Gold BBQ Sauce (this is mustard based sauce, if not available use regular bbq sauce)

1 teaspoon ginger, freshly grated

1 teaspoon light soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Mix well. Serve room temperature.