Fried Tomatoes

[Wickerman]

Poll question: Fried Tomatoes

My wife thinks I am crazy for liking them. I can't fix them around her and the kids - but hey, they are school shopping tonight and I just picked some beautiful specimens from the garden and have whupped up a nice batch.

Want some?

[arwalden]

1. Egg coated And Lightly Floured... Then Fried...

Lucious!!!

[Wickerman]

2. yup

have you ever tried corn meal? I found a recipe for cornmeal, never tried that.

[arwalden]

4. This Southern Boy ...

doesn't have so much as ONE single tablespoon of cornmeal in this house. I should be ashamed!!!

-- Allen

[Misunderestimator]

5. No way! Even I do...

and I hate to cook. :)

[arwalden]

6. Yeah... but that's different.

... you're a lesbian. Lebians are practical that way. Always ready and prepared for any emergency. Whether it's changing a flat tire, hemming a dress, stopping a pantyhose run, or fixing cornmeal-coated fried tomatos... the lesbians rule!

-- Allen

[Misunderestimator]

7. LOL pantyhose... haven't worn those in years...

and you just like saying that anyway, how can I take you seriously?

Speaking of pantyhose... Once when I was in high school, I was running late to an audition, and when I got in my car, I ripped my hose... so I stopped by a 7-Eleven to pick up some, and when I went to the counter found out that I couldn't buy pantyhose on a SUNDAY! BLUE LAWS. Do those still exist? (This was in Texas more than 20 years ago, so I don't know.)

(I am however, prepared for many emergencies... so I have jumper cables, a can of "Fix-a-Flat", a flashlight, an atlas, and a socket wrench set in the trunk of my car... and I never go anywhere without my cell phone :D)

The cornmeal is for someone ELSE to make fried tomatoes... at MY house.

Ok, back to the program...

[Andy_Stephenson]

17. No Cornmeal?!?!?!?

Get a rope.

[arwalden]

29. LOL...

:-)

[flamingyouth]

3. Exactly! I've got about 80 tomatoes on my porch right now

A great idea for dinner! :9

[Wickerman]

10. Red or Green?

inquiring minds and all

[flamingyouth]

11. All kinds - Roma, green, heirloom

You name 'em, I've got 'em! Tomato city on my sunny front porch! :D

[Wickerman]

13. I'm not a tomato freak, though this year is SO encouraging

I've got tons. And my cherry tomatoes are incredible - the one bush has turned out hundreds (might be slight overstatement). The Romas are incredibly tsty.

I've got some second year Big Boys that are really nice - very juicy.

Do you reseed or by new plants? And what is an heirloom, exactly?

[flamingyouth]

15. I don't grow from seeds - too impatient

Here's a good site about heirloom tomatoes, though. They're yummy!

http://www.farm-garden.com/primers/41/introduction-to-heirloom-tomatoes.htm

[jus_the_facts]

8. fried GREEN tomatos.....

....ONLY....slice...coat in cornmeal and fried in REAL BUTTER!!

[Wickerman]

9. Do you add a bit of brown sugar?

I have heard to that with Green 'uns - frankly, I jsut can't get to green.

[jus_the_facts]

14. Nope....and I've never heard that before......

.....only salt'n'cayenne pepper!

[Wickerman]

18. cayenne pepper!

might give that a shot!

[jus_the_facts]

24. cayenne pepper....the spice o'life.....

[IronLionZion]

12. Fried RED tomatoes rock!

what the hell are these green tomatoes that Southerners always talk about? I've never seen them.

[jus_the_facts]

16. They're GREEN before they turn RED......

....they're UNRIPE....as for fryin' RED ones...seems that'd be like fryin' WATER to me!!

[IronLionZion]

19. really?

they're just unripe red tomatoes? eeewwww!

[jus_the_facts]

23. Don't knock 'em till ya try 'em....

.....they're tangy and quite yummy...and btw...I'm a Louisiana gal..and we cook the BEST food on the planet down here!!

[Ilsa]

20. Love them, but only green ones.

They need to have a tartness and firmness to them. Toms as beautiful as those red ones need to be sliced and eaten as is, IMO. (Maybe a little sprinkle of salt.)

[blondeatlast]

22. Yums, indeed.

I gotta start a garden, I really do.

[blondeatlast]

21. Red? Yecchhhh. Green--mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

[eleny]

25. Green tomato slices - egg wash - roll in Italian bread crumbs

Pan fry in some light olive oil. Omigod, it is so good! The tangy flavor of the tomato goes great with the It crumbs. Oh, and sprinkle extra garlic powder and some dried oregano on them while they pan fry.

We make fried eggplant that way, so I tried it with green tomato slices and it's yummy.

[Wickerman]

26. oh man, that sounds good!

I'm saving that one!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

27. Here's how I do my fried green tomatoes

Cornmeal in a bowl
add garlic powder and Tony Cachere's pepper blend

in another bowl buttermilk

in a pan two tablespoons cooking oil smoking


dredge the tomato slices in buttermilk
drag through the cornmeal mix


fry on both sides/...keep the oil clean between batches so they don't taste burnt by draining the oil into a can, wiping the pan with paper towel and starting over with fresh oil between each batch.

Then I take garlic powder, tabasco and mayo and make a dipping sauce.

[Wickerman]

28. Oh! Another keeper

thanks NSMA! The fresh oil is a good suggestion, as is the dipping sauce.

[greatauntoftriplets]

30. Staple of an Irish breakfast.

Along with the eggs, rashers of bacon, sausages, fried toast and plenty of warm soda bread heaped with sweet butter.

[yvr girl]

31. Fried, not battered

more English than Southern.

I also like them broiled with a bit of Parmesan cheese on top.