Fried Green Tomatoes

It’s not right to live through Summer without eating at least one batch of fried green tomatoes. I believe it’s a Southern sin.

Now generally speaking, I seem to remember that eating fried green tomatoes was something we did at the end of the last harvest. Some tomato plants can be pushed to produce a late Summer harvest, then we pick the fruits while they’re still green. Everybody knows you just set the tomatoes in the window to finish ripening.

Anyhoo. I had a couple of tomatoes that were starting to turn red, so I thought I best fry them up if I wanted to stay pure to my Southern roots.

HERE’S ALL IT TAKES

• 2 medium size green tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1/2 cup corn meal
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• good pinch of pepper
• 1 egg, beaten with 1-2 tablespoons of milk
• a little oil for frying

Prep your area for dredging the tomatoes. One bowl for the egg/milk dip. One plate for the dry mix (corn meal, flour, salt and pepper). One large plate for prepped tomatoes.

Dip the tomato slice in the egg/milk and completely coat. Move to the dry mix plate and coat both sides and edges of the slice. Set aside on last plate. Repeat until all is coated.

Yes, I know these tomatoes don’t look very green. No matter though, they’re still VERY TASTY even at this color.

Now if you’re quick about it, you can have your skillet and oil heating up over medium high heat while you’re dredging the tomatoes. That’s a time saver. I like to heat up my cast iron skillet first, then add the oil a minute before I’m ready to start frying. That’s just me.

Fry the tomatoes for 2-3 minutes on each side, long enough to get a golden crispy crust.

Using tongs, move crispy fried green tomatoes to a plate lined with a paper towel. As soon as they’re cool enough to hold, they’re cool enough to EAT! They’re also very good at room temperature.

If you’re serving a bunch of tomatoes lovers, count on them eating 3 slices each. I have no idea what the “Recommended Daily Allowance” is for such things. But I do know that these Southern delights go fast and you don’t need your dining companions to be feuding over the last slice.