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How to fry your green tomatoes
Tomatoes are the teenagers of the garden. All summer, I say “ripen!” and they say “I’m gonna!” As I pulled my reluctant green tomatoes off the vines before the frost last week, I took comfort in knowing I would slice them up, dredge them in cornmeal and fry them in the cast-iron pan that gives such a golden crust. Here’s how:
Fried Green Tomatoes
By Kristen Browning-Blas, serves 4-6.
Ingredients
4 green tomatoes
FIRST COATING First coating
½ cup flour
½ teaspoon seasoned salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (about 5 grinds)
1 cup buttermilk
SECOND COATING Second coating
1½ cups cornmeal
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (about 8 grinds)
2-3 tablespoons bacon fat
¼- cup peanut oil
Directions
Do not peel tomatoes. Slice about ¼-inch thick.
In a shallow bowl, combine flour, seasoned salt and pepper.
Have buttermilk in another shallow bowl.
In a third bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper.
Heat bacon fat and oil in a heavy frying pan, preferably cast-iron, to medium-high.
Dip tomato slices in flour mixture, then buttermilk, then cornmeal.
Place in oil a few slices at a time and lower heat to medium. Fry until browned on one side, turn carefully and brown on the other side. Keep an an eye on the heat — you might need to turn it down a little. You might also need to scoop out the burned bits from the bottom of the pan if you are frying a lot.
Drain on a wire rack or on a plate lined with paper towels.
Sprinkle tomatoes with coarse sea salt and eat standing around the stove in the kitchen.
Kristen Browning-Blas,
