It is end of summer; nip of coolness in the mornings and evenings around six, and you can still gather green tomatoes in your garden from a late start of spring planting. A fall garden of green tomatoes as well as red are a luxury when it is outside your kitchen door, a few steps across the lawn, and they are yours! It is easy and a delightment to have your own plentiful tomato garden right at your fingers to make into a field of varieties whether it be sweet and spicy or that tang of bitter flavor culminated with seasonings that you place upon your table. Must, must plant at least one grape or cherry tomato plant if you missed out on planting this year, it is recommended that you do so next year since they are juicy sweet and ideal to pack in your husband’s work lunch to snack on or include in a picnic basket to carry to the park with your children on a pleasant afternoon. Why bother with the hassle of having to go to the supermarket for produce when you can have it abundantly in your own backyard. Food is planted, carefully tended, grown and gathered, cooked and baked out of interest and creativity, not only as a necessity; circling moments you have with your family that time cannot erase within those memories… like a photograph.
Fried Green Tomatoes recipe~
-from Food Network kitchens-
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 tablespoon sugar
2-3 medium green tomatoes to equal 1 pound, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
1 cup stone-ground cornmeal
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
4 slices of raw bacon
Vegetable oil —
Whisk together the buttermilk, egg and sugar in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes and soak for ten minutes, making sure that both sides have equal time. I did not core my tomatoes; I like the texture and taste of the cores in the centers… Let’s make this as simple as possible.
In another large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, salt, thyme and cayenne. Season with pepper and set aside.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and lay the bacon to fry. I use applewood smoked bacon for every recipe that calls for bacon. It seems to taste better in foods cooked, not just for breakfast with eggs and toast.
Fry tomatoes in vegetable oil– I poured the oil onto the bacon grease in the skillet, giving the fried tomatoes that nice applewood smoked flavor. Why render taste, afterall…
Before frying, of course, drain tomatoes from buttermilk and toss into cornmeal mixture, coating completely on both sides and edges. Be careful not to burn the tomatoes. It only takes three minutes on the first side; two minutes on the second side. Use a slotted spatula or spoon to lift the tomatoes out of the skillet and onto a paper-towel lined plate; you do not want access grease to make them soggy; going for crispness.
Crumble bacon over fried green tomatoes.
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