Summer Means Fried Green Tomatoes

My grandfather was a large Southern man from Oklahoma. He was kind, charming and famous for knowing good food.

One of his favorite sayings was, “Don’t argue with a fat man about good food.”

He had a love for a variety of food and enjoyed introducing me to things I’d never heard of. He also was a darn good cook!

It was Grandpa that taught me how to pick and fry green tomatoes. We would enjoy a mid-summer lunch of fried green tomatoes and cottage cheese… always to be followed up with the ice cream flavor of the day. If you know me then you know that my grandfather was one of the most special people to me.

I think that’s why I adore fried green tomatoes. They were our thing. Today, I made my first batch since he passed away 3 years ago. I think I was feeling a bit sentimental.

I had forgotten how these under-ripe vegetables burst with flavor if cooked just right. I shared them with J and I’m so excited to share them with you.

So here’s the family secret…

You want to first slice your tomatoes into rather thick slices…

I know what you’re thinking… some of those tomatoes are red. I know, I know… but hear me out. When I picked them, they were green. The one tomato ended up turning in our house before I could fry it up. It still turned out pretty awesome though.

So what I did was take about a cup of cornstarch (you can use flour, I just wanted gluten-free), salt and pepper to taste and mix it all together in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, crack and beat two eggs. Dip the tomatoes in the eggs, dredge them in the cornstarch and then dip them back in the eggs.

In the meantime, pour some oil in a skillet and heat on medium. When the oil is warm, place the tomatoes in the oil until brown on each side. Place on a paper towel lined plate to cool.

Now you can either eat them a la cart like above or you can stack them high on a sandwich with a little roast beef and whatever fixin’s you love like so…