Fried Green Tomatoes

So remember when I said I really liked blogging at work? Well, I still do, but it has caused me to not tend to this blog as much. I like blogging when I want to blog, and I don't always want to blog after I come home from work. I'm back though. I even have several things I want to write about over the next few posts, the first one being the delicious recipe my dad and I made tonight.

This weekend has been a fun weekend. It has seemed to go by slowly which is always great. Friday night I got to hang out with some of my high school friends who I haven't seen in a while. On Saturday I went on the Upstate's Farm Tour with my boyfriend and his parents. The Upstate Farm Tour happens once a year when farms across the Upstate open their doors to the public and allow them to see what goes on behind the scenes. One of the farms we went to was a hydroponic tomato farm. Hydroponic farms grow their products in water instead of soil. No weeding or bending over to pick the vegetables in the hot sun. Instead, the product is grown in a greenhouse. I was so excited when I saw they grew green tomatoes. My dad and I have been talking about making fried green tomatoes but weren't sure where to buy them since all the tomatoes in the store are ripe red tomatoes. I bought some at the farm and started researching some recipes. We found at recipe we liked at cooksillustrated.com. You have to be a member to view the recipe so here it is:

SERVES 4 TO 6

Any firm, underripe tomato can be used in this recipe. A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet is ideal for frying the tomato slices. We prefer a fine-textured cornmeal for this recipe; coarser cornmeal will make the coating excessively crunchy.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2cups fine-ground white or yellow cornmeal such as Quaker
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1/4teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1large egg
• 1cup buttermilk
• 1teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2teaspoon baking soda
• 2medium green tomatoes (about 12 ounces each), cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick (for a total of 12 to 14 slices)
• 1 1/2 - 2cups vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Measure 1 cup flour into a large shallow dish. Measure remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, cornmeal, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne into a second large shallow dish. Beat the egg, buttermilk, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl (mixture will bubble and foam).
2. 2. Working with several slices at a time, drop the tomatoes in the flour and shake the pan to coat. Shake the excess flour from each piece. Using tongs, dip the tomatoes into the buttermilk mixture, turning to coat well and allowing the excess to drip off. Coat the tomato slices with seasoned flour-cornmeal mixture, shaking off any excess. Place the tomatoes on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tomato slices.
3. 3. Pour enough oil into a 12-inch skillet to measure 1/3 inch in depth. Heat the oil over high heat until it reaches a temperature of 350 degrees, 3 to 4 minutes. Gently lay a single layer of tomato slices in the oil (about 4 or 5 slices) and turn the heat down to medium. Fry until the tomatoes are a deep, golden brown on the first side, 2 to 21/2 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain the oil at a temperature of 350 degrees. Gently turn the tomato slices over with tongs and fry until the second side is a deep, golden brown, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes longer. Transfer the fried tomatoes to a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels and cool for 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining slices, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain the oil at a temperature of 350 degrees. Serve immediately.
   
   
   They were so yummy! There is nothing like a good Southern meal. We ate them alone and also made BLT's with them. We have already found a recipe for a sauce to put on them next time. The recipe should make a sauce very similar to Outback's blooming onion sauce. Here are some pictures...