TWO BROOKS RICE AND TOMATO FRITTERS

All those tomatoes… One year the bugs get them, the next, a virus. But when they do make, it seems they come in buckets. And buckets. With the sum of them, you think of things to do until you get blue.

After looking through our dear departed mother’s recipe books, I found a receipt originating in the Smokies from generations back using nothing but tomatoes, cornmeal, and salt. Poor people, they didn’t have rice! To see through that blue, this new vision for the tomato uses rice, cheese, additional binding of our rice flour, a few herbs, and the piece de resistance, bacon (begrudgingly, may omit cheese and bacon if vegan). Rather like arancini, but with integrated filling and without the crumbs. You’ll be wishing for more tomato plants.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups fresh ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 cup cooked ecogrown Delta Belle or Missimati Bayou Bouquet Fragrant White Rice

¼ cup parsley, chopped

¼ cup basil, chopped

4 scallions, chopped

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

½ cup parmesan or sharp white cheddar, shredded

¾ cup cornmeal

½ cup Delta Belle or Missimati Fragrant Vintage Stone Ground Rice Flour

3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

Garnish of more cheese, tzatziki, or aioli

METHOD

Mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl.

Heat oil in deep fryer to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, or add ¼ inch oil in heavy cast iron skillet and heat to frying temperature. Form patties about ½ inch thick and 3 inches across, or if using deep fryer, can form spheres of less than 1½ inches diameter. Fry until golden to dark golden color. Garnish with grated parmesan, cheddar, tzatziki, or aioli.