Fried Green Tomatoes - Not Just a Movie

Fried green tomatoes are a true Southern staple. I didn't like tomatoes when I was little - silly me. One night for dinner my mother presented us with this mysterious dish - mysterious because she would not tell us what it was until we tried it. The serving plate was full of round somethings that had been fried and looked like summer squash. I tasted it, I liked it, my mother said, 'Aha! It's tomatoes! You ate tomatoes!' Ok, maybe it wasn 't quite that dramatic but I had been tricked. In my defense, fried any-vegetable tastes pretty much the same.

Recently I had a craving for some fried green tomatoes. I actually saw some in the produce department at Publix - for $2.49/lb. Uh, no. I asked my aunt if they had any green tomatoes in their garden and what do you know, she did and had just fried some up herself. So we headed on over and picked a few for ourselves. They are easy to make.

You slice some up and then you get out 2 bowls - fiestaware makes the preparation quite..uh...festive. Beat up a couple of eggs, add some salt and pepper in one. Mix some flour and cornmeal in another, with your choice of seasonings. You can even give them an Indian twist with some garam masala and cayenne pepper (this is not my idea, I saw it on Food Network's Aarti's Party).) Dip the sliced tomatoes in the egg mixture, then the flour/cornbread. You can repeat this process for a heavier crust.


Freshly ground salt and pepper is always the best.


Here they are, frying away - albeit sideways. Have I mentioned how much we love cooking with gas? First time we've had a gas stove.


Flash-less shot that won't hurt your neck.


Here they are, ready to eat. Delish!


Not long after these photos were taken, I found myself in an ambulance on the way to the ER. My little adventure had nothing to do with the fried green tomatoes, though.