Fried Green Tomatoes

Do you remember your first time?  Okay get your head out of the gutter, I’m talking about the first time you ate something that totally rocked your world?  Well for me it was the first time I tried a fried green tomato and I still remember the experience vividly.  I had recently made the move from New England to the south and was living down the road from Marietta Square where on the weekends the Marietta Square Farmer’s Market was held.  I loved to wander up there to pick up fresh veggies, baked goods and other treats.  On one of my very first visits there was a vendor selling tomatoes and in his stall he was cooking up samples of fried green tomatoes.  They smelled absolutely wonderful but when he told me what they were, I honestly turned my nose up at them…but the smell…well I just had to take a taste and WOW, they were absolutely magical.  How is it that Southerners have been eating and enjoying Fried Green Tomatoes forever but us Northerners seemed to know nothing about them?  Is the secret of Fried Green Tomatoes kept from us Northerners as a way to one-up us after the whole North vs. South conflict?  Well no matter the reason, since that fateful day this former Northerner has delighted in eating Fried Green Tomatoes, usually at my favorite little lunch spot in the form of their Fried Green Tomato Sandwich.  

Now though, thanks to Amanda’s blog Dancing Veggies my Secret Recipe Club assignment this month, I have a super awesome recipe for fried green tomatoes.  I enjoyed reading through Amanda’s blog, trying to figure out songs based on the lyrics she uses as blog titles and of course reading her recipes.  Amanda’s recipes were mostly vegetarian and I found them inviting as they were simple to make and used everyday ingredients.  While I realized that I really stank at figuring out most of the songs, I found that I was really good at wanting to try many of her recipes including her Zucchini Parmesan Crisps, Slow Cooker Coconut Curry and Slow Cooker Eggplant Korma but as soon as I saw her fried green tomato recipe it was all over, I knew what I’d be making…Plus I had a garden which was overflowing with tomatoes, red & green…how perfect was that! 

The Fried Green Tomatoes I made were absolutely delightful and brought back wonderful memories of that first one I tried years ago at the Farmer’s Market.  The crunchy coating on the tomato was a bit gritty from the cornmeal and was a wonderful contrast to the tomato itself which was smooth and al dente and provided the perfect resistance to the bite though it had been cooked through.  The flavor of the tomato was delicate and just a tad tart which worked beautifully with the slight little kick and heat from the cayenne in the coating.  I’ll admit it, the first time I made these tomatoes I ate almost all of them myself and it wasn’t that no one else wanted or liked them but it was because I didn’t want to share.  In the end, over the course of the month since I first received my assignment, I made three batches of Fried Green Tomatoes so that others could enjoy them too.  Me, I adore Fried Green Tomatoes, I could eat Fried Green Tomatoes daily for the rest of my life and I also found that I love Fried Green Tomatoes however they are served, hot, room temperature and even cold from the fridge, anyway you slice the green tomato I’m addicted.  If there’s a support group for my Fried Green Tomato addiction I don’t want to know.  So happy that I moved to the South, not only did I get away from snow in the winter but I also found a new love, Fried Green Tomatoes …total YUM!! 

Fried Green Tomatoes (slightly adapted from here)

• 6 large green tomatoes, sliced 1/2 in thick
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (I prepare from powered as I don’t keep fresh buttermilk in the house and this always works wonderfully)  
• 3/4 cup corn meal 
• 1/3 cup flour 
• 1 1/2 tsp. cayenne powder  
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt   
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• peanut oil or oil of your choice

In a large cast iron skillet heat about 1/4-inch of oil over medium high heat. 

In a wide shallow bowl whisk together the eggs & buttermilk.  In a separate dish combine the corn meal, flour, cayenne, salt & pepper.  One at a time dip the tomato slices in the egg mixture then lay in the corn meal mixture and cover the tomato completely with the coating..

Once the oil is hot, add the coated tomatoes to the hot oil being sure not over crowd the pan. Cook the tomatoes until golden brown on both sides, trying to only turn one time once the bottom side is cooked and golden. Remove from the oil allowing all the excess oil to drain back into the pan and then place the tomato slices on a wire cooling rack which is covered with a paper towels.  Season with salt.  Serve hot, warm or cold, any way you eat them they are delicious!

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts:

Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry