fried green tomatoes (archived from old site, originally posted 5/8/07)

I know I haven't posted in a while, but I have to say that it's primarly because I've been busy and have been having issues with loading pictures. And what's a food blog without pictures of the delectable dishes??

But since I'm no longer having massive issues trying to host my pics online, I have decided to post on a meal I actually made two weeks ago, the Sunday after my birthday. One of the great things about your birthday is that you can justify a number of things: excessive numbers of drinks, buying new dresses, and cooking your very favorite foods no matter how messy, impractical, or fattening they may be. It was in that spirit that I decided my dinner the Sunday after my birthday would be a collection of things that I loved and had been craving. So I started with an appetizer of steamed artichokes with meyer lemon mayonnaise. Yum. Then I had a salad of arugula topped with avocado, crumbled bacon, and gorgonzola and tossed in a light vinaigrette. Also yum. But the real show-stopper was what tonight's post is dedicated to: fried green tomates.

So I'm sure most people outside the south are only familiar with fried green tomatoes because of the movie of the same name. However, they are a real food item and they are one of my absolute favorite southern foods. I don't get to eat them often. This is largely because it's hard to find green tomatoes up here and because they can be kind of messy (like most fried foods). But they are a food that I think most people would find surprisingly delicious. They have a tangy flavor and the golden crispy breading mixes well with the acidity of the tomatoes. I like to use them as a base or surprise in a number of dishes. One of my favorites is to top fried green tomatoes with lump crabmeat and rich hollandaise sauce. It's absolutely amazing.

But this time I decided to keep it plain and simple. I found green heirloom tomatoes at Whole Foods and after rinsing them, I chopped them into slices that were about ¹/₃ to ¹/₂ inch thick. My tomatoes were not perfectly round so I didn't have round slices, I had quarter- to half-circle slices.

Everyone has a different method of making fried green tomatoes. Some use bread crumbs, some use corn meal. Some use egg as the "glue" to hold the breading on, some use batter. I have tried it a number of different ways and have found my favorite. It is by no means the only way. But it is tasty. After the tomatoes are sliced, I pat the slices dry and dredge them in flour that has been mixed with salt and pepper . I then dip them in a batter that is a combination of buttermilk, flour, and a good amount of cayenne pepper. Once they are battered I coat them with Japanese-style panko breadcrumbs. I like the panko because it creates a very crunchy crust that doesn't get soggy from the batter and doesn't soak up too much oil.

Once that's done, I place them into a cast iron skillet (I'm sure at some point I will have a post dedicated entirely to my cast iron skillet...it's that important to me) with about a half an inch of oil over medium-high heat. You can use any oil that deals well with high heat, I like peanut or safflower but canola works too. I fry them until they are golden brown on each side and then transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels while I finish the rest of the slices.

I try to serve them as close to immediately as possible. If you aren't serving immediately or have a particularly large amount and don't want the first batch to get cold, you can place them on a baking rack over a cookie sheet and keep them in a 200-degree oven. But they really are best served fresh and hot. As for how to serve them, I like them plain but some people serve them with lemon wedges or with remoulade sauce for dipping. As mentioned above, you can also use them as part of a more elaborate dish. How you choose to enjoy them is up to you but I would encourage everyone who has never had one to give them a go at least once.

Enjoy, y'all!