when life gives you green tomatoes.

...make fried green tomatoes.and people, i have a lot of green tomatoes right now. the lovely prior owners of our house planted bell pepper and tomato plants out back. and they are flourishing! i've even been able to pick a few peppers which have been delicious (there is just something about homegrown veggies).the only issue is that the tomatoes just.won't.ripen. apparently this is a common issue this year with the tomatoes, they just aren't ripening, something about the weather and a late spring. so there are green tomatoes coming out my butt right now. i had to strip about 15 off the plants last night, and it was killing me that they were going to go to waste.so last night while my husband trimmed up the crazy hedge in the backyard, i decided to buck up and make fried green tomatoes. which is super minnesotan of me. except not at all. i'm pretty sure i've never had fried green tomatoes in my life, mostly because i've spent very little time below the mason-dixon line, and it's just not something we eat up in the northland.i found a recipe on slate.com that didn't require cornmeal, and modified it for what i had on hand at the time. and you guys. i totally get it now. i understand why they are a precious food, and i understand why they named a movie after them. fried green tomatoes are a perfect metaphor. you take something that isn't at all at its best, and you turn it into something wonderful. slow clap for the south, you did something right with these babies.fried green tomatoes (no cornmeal) - slightly modified from slate.com (serves 4)

• 3 large unripe tomatoes, cut into ½-inch sliced rounds
• salt to taste
• 1/3 C. all-purpose flour
• 1-2 large eggs
• 1 cup fine breadcrumbs
• black pepper to taste
• garlic salt to taste
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 stick (1/4 C.) butter

put the tomato slices in a large colander and toss with around 2 tsp. of salt. place the colander in the sink and let the tomatoes sit for long enough to have the salt draw out the moisture (around 20 minutes or so), then gently pat dry with a paper towel and place them on a plate while you prepare the breading.

while the tomatoes are sitting in the sink, put the flour, the egg, and the panko in three separate shallow bowls and season each with salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste. beat the egg (or eggs) once you've seasoned it.

heat the vegetable oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. dip each tomato slice first in the flour, then in the egg, and finally in the panko, letting any excess coating drip off in between coats. with a tongs, place half of the tomato slices into the skillet. cook until golden brown on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes, then turn and cook until lightly browned on the other side, another 3 to 5 minutes. the first side of the tomatoes will take the longest to brown, and the next will go faster. remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. repeat with the remaining breaded tomato slices. these are best served hot.

|||

elsewhere with love: bloglovin’ || facebook || twitter || instagram