Friday, August 31, 2007
Today’s images were supplied by friend Laura Wallis in Charleston who provided photos and stories for the Wet Coconut Cake FPF. She is a very talented food pornographer.
Fried Green Tomatoes are one of the most beloved of southern foods. They are a special item only available when the tomatoes are green and on the vine. Choose fresh home grown green tomatoes if they are available. The tartness of the tomato is what makes these lovely slices of heaven so special. The heat releases both sweetness and tartness.
I should say a word about the term “frying” in Southern food culture. We are not deep frying in vats of oil. Fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, fried okra…all of these are pan fried. We put oil in the bottom of the pan so it just coats and then do our frying. Fried chicken uses an additional step of steaming the chicken with 
the lid on the frying pan. Foods fried in this manner are laid out on paper towels to absorb any excess grease after they are done.
For true authenticity, use bacon fat, but vegetable oil has long been used since most of us threw away our “grease jars” and are no longer eating bacon daily. The taste of bacon does lend itself rather well to these, though.
Fried Green Tomatoes
4 large green tomatoes sliced thickly
2 eggs, well beaten with ¼ cup water
1 and ½ cup stone ground corn meal
2 tablespoons self-rising flour
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup vegetable oil or strained bacon fat
cookie sheet covered with paper towel
Put the oil in a large cast iron skillet and place on the stove on medium high to heat. When the oil is good and hot you will want to ease the heat back between medium and medium high. Mix the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl and combine well. Beat the eggs and water together. Coat your tomato slices well with the egg mixture then dredge thickly in the corn meal and flour. Place them in the oil to fry, turning so they are golden brown on each side. When they are just the right golden brown color, transfer to the cookie sheet and place in a slow oven so the tomato will finish cooking and any left over grease is absorbed.
I do hope you will try these if you aren’t familiar with them. They are a wonderful addition to a brunch menu and can be fancied up if you like with sprigs of fresh parsley and sweet basil.
And yes…I really did work on the movie. I even sat in Fannie Flagg’s chair, just to do it. I think I was hoping some of those successful and good writer cooties would rub off on me.
What do you serve on the side as a sauce? We recently went camping down on the border of Virginia and Kentucky at the Breaks Interstate Park, and we had the opportunity to eat some wonderful fried green tomatoes and fried okra in a local diner. Just wondering what is tradtional. Herb aoili sounds pretty wonderful to me.
Sally
I have read the whole thing nearly now.
You are an amazing writer, and the phone company SUX!!
I wyoming, where my husband is from, they still don't even HAVE phone service in many mountain communities. And just like what you suffer, the phone service is terrible and EXPENSIVE.
AT and T won't even provide it. The phone company is some little fly by night company, US WEST I think.
Man, do they ever Suck
Cream gravy and ketchup...mmmm.