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Mr. Carrot Among Fans Near, Far

Photo by Lynn Kessel

Fried green beans are a delicious alternative to the blanched or steamed versions of this vegetable.

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By Lynn Kessel, Tribune Correspondent

Published: February 20, 2008

I love getting mail from readers. It's one of the things I enjoy most about writing this column.
Hearing your thoughts and checking out your recipes can be the highlight of my day. I thought I'd share a couple of my recent responses with you.

Last month I wrote about carrot dogs. In case you overlooked that column, it's a grilled whole carrot cradled inside a multigrain bun and smothered with sweet coleslaw or sauerkraut.
Within days, I heard from John Stolarczyk, who sent an e-mail from the United Kingdom after reading my column at TBO.com. He said the mouthwatering carrot dog recipe would make a fantastic addition to the World Carrot Museum's collection.

I thought it was some kind of joke — a museum devoted to a root vegetable? I went along with it, though, and visited the e-museum at www.carrotmuseum.com.

Sure enough, there is an online carrot museum, and Stolarczyk, "Mr. Carrot," is the curator. And what a site it is! As Miami Herald humor columnist Dave Barry wrote in a 2001 column, "the World Carrot Museum reflects a level of interest in carrots that would probably trouble a psychiatric professional."

The carrot site is dedicated to more fascinating aspects of the carrot than you can shake a carrot stick at — such as the evolution of the carrot, cultivation, medicinal uses, festivals, carrots in fine art and 101 carrot trivia facts. You can even ask Mr. Carrot a question.

I always knew one day they would put me in a museum, but suddenly I'm feeling really old.

Ann Passberger of Valrico recently wrote to ask where I found flatiron steak. You might recall a column I wrote several weeks ago about this surprisingly tender cut of beef. I bought my flatiron steak at my neighborhood supermarket. As I mentioned in that column, if you don't see the cut on the shelf, ask the meat department manager. I'm sure he will be happy to start carrying it for you.

Another Valrico resident, Cyndi Gang, saw the column and recipe for Black Russian cake I wrote about just before Valentine's Day.

It was a recipe submitted by Jennifer Northrup of Divine Desserts Bakery. Gang said she had a similar recipe she found in a terrific, cheeky book published in 2005 called "Being Dead Is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral."

In other words, she said, being dead is no excuse for not having great food at your funeral. The book is chock full of good Southern home-cooking recipes — meaning not low-calorie.
The version Gang makes contains vodka, but what makes hers so wonderful are the instructions to ice it with chocolate frosting. Store bought works fine. While the cake is still warm, the icing melts into the cake like a glaze.

She also wrote that everyone, men and women alike, beg her not only for seconds, but for her recipe. She has renamed her Black Russian cake recipe to "Oh My God" cake because that's what everyone says when they take a bite. I did the first time I tried it.

Finally, this week's recipe for fried green beans was sent by Denise Reiter, director of community relations at Freedom Plaza in Sun City Center. The dish is one of Freedom Plaza Dining Services' most popular catering sides. I cut back on the quantities because I wasn't serving a crowd.

Now it's your turn. Take a few minutes and make an old museum relic happy by sending in your comments, questions or favorite recipe. I'd really love to hear from you.

FRIED GREEN BEANS
1 pound whole green beans
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 cups fine bread crumbs
1 tablespoon onion powder
Salt and pepper
Canola oil

Wash green beans and trim off ends. Allow to dry.
Place enough canola oil in an 8-quart pot to be able to immerse the green beans once they're prepared. Heat on medium until the oil temperature is about 325 degrees.
In one bowl, season flour with salt, pepper and onion powder. In another, whip eggs with two tablespoons of water until fluffy. This will be your egg wash.
Place bread crumbs in a third bowl. Line a serving platter with paper towels. When oil reaches 325 degrees, prepare the beans by first dredging them in the flour mixture, then the egg wash and then the bread crumbs. Place in a basket and gently lower into the hot oil. Remember that if you put too many beans in the oil, it will lower the temperature of the oil and could affect cooking time. When breading has reached a golden brown, remove beans and place in the lined platter. Continue with remaining beans. Taste beans and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Serve within 15 minutes.

Lynn Kessel can be reached at lkessel@mac.com or P.O. Box 286, Ruskin FL 33575-0286. Readers are encouraged to send their favorite recipes, comments and suggestions.

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