I have always loved fried green tomatoes. I'm not sure why it is considered a southern dish other than that it is ubiquitous here. My first experience with green tomatoes was from my grandmother's garden. Rhubarb, asparagus, corn, green beans, and tomatoes -- that is a quintessential garden in the Midwest. Of those vegetables, only the tomato can be used in various states of ripeness.
A green tomato is just a tomato that has not fully ripened yet. There is probably plenty of debate to be had about when exactly the 'green' ends and the ripe red tomato emerges, but the culinary use of the green tomato is more about the firmness than the color.
The recipe is fairly simple; there are only a few ingredients. Still, the technique can take some practice to master.
Monkey's recipe for fried green tomatoes
Serves 8
2 large unripe (green) tomatoes
2 egg yolks
1 cup whole milk (or buttermilk)
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 cup peanut oil (for frying)
Seasoning (salt, pepper, or see below)
Slice the tomato
Place the tomato stem side (top) down. Slice a thin section from one of the sides to create a flat surface. Lay the tomato on the flat surface just created and slice off the top of the tomato. Then, slice the tomato into thick (3/8 inch) slabs. Lightly salt each side with kosher or sea salt and set aside either on a rack or angled on each other. You can use the top or bottom slice to keep the first slice from laying flat. If you stack them or cover them, they will turn to mush.
Prepare the breading
In a small bowl, wisk together the egg yolks, milk, and whatever seasoning you intend to use. I make my own curry powders from black peppercorn, coriander seed, mustard seed, sesame seed, fenugreek seed, cardamon, and cumin seed. Toast the seeds lightly in a dry pan, then grind them to a gritty (not fine) powder. Go simple with just some salt and pepper if you like.
On a wide plate, sprinkle the breadcrumbs and season if necessary. I make my own seasoned breadcrumbs by toasting bread that is no longer fresh and grinding it up with some dried herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage, and fenugreek.
Fry the tomatoes
Bring oil to a medium frying temperature in a skillet (I prefer non-stick for this). Dredge the tomatoes one at a time in the seasoned egg mixture, then coat thoroughly but not thickly with the breadcrumbs. I use a spoon to bury the tomato then pat the breadcrumbs into it.
Fry until the firmness of the unripe tomato has turned to a melty consistency. The breadcrumbs should be slightly more than golden brown and very crispy.
Serve with any sort of condiment you like. I make my own sweet pepper aioli with sauteed onion and nearly raw garlic that works very well.
Tonight I made a condiment from sour cream, fresh grated horseradish, roasted green chili, celery salt, and a bit of my curry powder (see above). It was tartar-like without being too biting. My wife thought it was too hot from the chilies, but she's kind of a wimp when it comes to heat.
That's really it. The key thing is the best quality tomatoes and a proper fry temperature for the type of breadcrumbs you are using. I have tried doing a light flouring of the tomato instead of breadcrumbs, but I ended up with a nasty paste smeared on a mushy tomato. By salting the tomatoes first, you draw enough moisture out initially that it all mixes with the milk and then combines with the breadcrumbs. Without salting them first, you will find that the cooking forces water into the oil and makes for a greasy mess.
I look forward to seeing other recipes because there are green tomatoes in every market here.