SHOW & RECIPE FOR AUG. 11

DOUG’S FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
It’s a Deep South favorite that didn’t really become famous until a few years ago, and that thanks less to a specific preparation than to a bestselling book and popular movie. Now, happily, fried green tomatoes are here to stay. And when you go looking for a Deep South (or even better, Deep Texas) classic, one of the best places to go is Chef Doug Atkinson’s Latigo Café in Beeville. Chef Doug is bringing fried green tomatoes and whatever else he feels like cooking to our studio for what we hope will be a rather fattening conversation.

UP FROM FINGER SANDWICHES
He’s cooked in northern California alongside Thomas Keller at The French Laundry and Michael Mena at Aqua – an impressive resume indeed for turning his culinary art and craft to wedding food. But that’s exactly what Chef Jose Rivera of Ashton Gardens has done with his move to Houston. Actually, this chef and the European-style wedding venue both fit perfectly with the general trend toward more sophisticated and more ethnically diverse foods turning up after the couple says “I do.” He’ll be joining us to talk all about these intriguing trends.

DINING ON THE CHEAP
Mike Riccetti is a bit of a cheapskate – but at least we’re not telling you anything he and you don’t already know, especially if you’ve read, enjoyed and relied upon his wonderful guidebook “Houston Dining on the Cheap.” Now, as the brand-new third edition makes its penny-pinching rounds, Mike joins us to talk about how Houston is holding the line: struggling to preserve its status as one of the very best dining values in all of America. And maybe we’ll figure out how this guy researches these books without weighing 750 pounds.

This Week’s Delicious Mischief Recipe…
GAZPACHO ANDALUZ

3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, cut in half, seeded (reserve ½ tomato for garnish
1 green bell pepper, cut in half, seeded (reserve ¼ for garnish)
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded (reserve 2 inch slices for garnish)
2 stalks celery
1 onion
1 (12-ounce) can tomato juice
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
4 tablespoons tomato purée
¼ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon savory
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 drops Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 boiled eggs, chopped

Wash and dry the vegetables, chop them and place them in a blender with enough tomato juice to partially cover. Add garlic, tomato purée, savory, thyme, pepper, salt vinegar, oil and Tabasco sauce and purée until smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl and stir in the remainder of the tomato juice. Chill for two hours. Serve the gazpacho in individual soup cups. Dice the remaining bits of tomato, green bell peppers, and cucumber separately and sprinkle them separately with the chopped parsley and boiled eggs on top of the soup. Serves 6.