Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Fried Green Tomatoes!


There are so many tomatoes still on the vine, but they are never going to ripen in November, even with the extremely warm days we are having.

The tomato season was late this year, which is why we ended up with so many unripe tomatoes.
Mr. A was just about to pull the vines out when I suggested we make fried green tomatoes!

First, we coated the slices in an egg batter....

...then rolled them in bread crumbs. Not just any bread crumbs though.

Panko bread crumbs!

After adding salt and pepper, we then fried them in olive oil.

The tomatoes were absolutely delicious. The Panko bread crumbs made them extra crispy, and the tomatoes themselves had a tangy flavor.
Although we ate them as hors d'oeuvres, they would have made great sandwiches on sourdough bread with aioli!

We still have lots of green tomatoes and I'm thinking of pickling them like they do in Italy.
Mario Batali had a better idea though. Spaghetti with Green Tomato Sauce!
Here's his recipe:

Spaghetti Con Pomodori Verdi

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup mint leaves
  • 1/4 cup basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup arugula
  • 1/4 cup dill
  • 5 green tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt.

In the bowl of a food processor combine the herbs, tomatoes and garlic and puree. Add the cheese and pulse for 30 seconds.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water until tender yet al dente. 1 minute before the pasta is done, turn on the food processor and slowly drizzle the oil in to make a smooth sauce. Drain the pasta, discarding the water, and return to the hot pot. Stir in the tomato mixture, season with salt and pepper, to taste and serve immediately.

Do you have green tomatoes coming out your ears?
Do you have any special recipes?

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22 comments:

Char said...

I am so happy to hear that you didn't toss the tomatoes, but instead made some delicious fried green tomatoes....yummy!!
I love Panko bread crumbs. I bet these tasted so good, they look great, Char

Acanthus and Acorn said...

I love f-g-t's. My mouth is watering and now I know whatever I make for dinner tonight just won't be as good as this looks!!!

Blondie's Journal said...

These look delicious {and I love panko bread crumbs for cooking}. I tried FGT in New Orleans and they were fantastic. I haven't tried to make any myself; I was lucky all my tomatoes ripened. Maybe I will pick some early next year!

XO,
Jane

Anonymous said...

Looks very taste and nice!

Kisses.

Olive said...

They look yummy! I make them with cornmeal. I saw someone have a fgt sandwich with spplewood bacon and fig preserves. Sounded good.

Babs said...

So many of us in the South love fried green tomatoes. I just pulled up my vines and had quite a few to use. I put the green and ripe cherry tomatoes(cut in half) in a pasta salad with Italian vinaigrette. I also make Paula Deen's Green Tomato Cake with Brown Butter Icing. It's unusual and delicious and always a hit.
Thanks for sharing your recipes.

Lynne (lynnesgiftsfromtheheart) said...

Wow, do those ever look good. I've also heard of people pulling them wrapping them in newspaper, storing them in a dark place they then ripen and they have fresh tomatoes for Thanksgiving.
The salad or dessert plates you asked about came from J.C. Penney's last year. It was one of those purchases I just "had" to have. lol I've enjoyed the heck out of them... hugs ~lynne~

NanaDiana said...

Nope-No green tomatoes here. We have hardly any green anything here now. I haven't had fried green tomatoes in years! They look delicious! Hugs- Diana

Mariette VandenMunckhof-Vedder said...

Dearest Delores,

Great idea to make fried green tomatoes; welcome to this favorite Georgia dish. It is a specialty at the famous Blue Willow restaurant and at the top of their list of recipes: http://www.bluewillowinn.com/

Guess that personally I like your version of fried green tomatoes better with my favorite Panko!
Great images you show...

MariettesBacktoBasics

Scribbler said...

You may know of that little movie, set here in Birmingham, "Fried Green Tomatoes?" We went to the Whistle Stop Cafe once, and they were awful -- GREASY! My mother always fried them with cornmeal. Hers were OK, but I think your way looks better. I am going to give this a try next summer.

Lori E said...

I have never had them. I only use Panko for crumbs.
I still have flowers blooming yet they are calling for snow this weekend. Hmmm.

Kathysue said...

Hi Delores they look so good, I love fried green tomatoes. I also fry zucchini and use cornmeal, yumo!!! Now I am hungry again, Kathysue

Unknown said...

Love fried green tomatoes. Haven't used panko, but am going to try them.

Your blog is always so beautiful!

Tamra said...

I take our green tomatoes, quarter them, pack them in jars and pickle them. They taste like dill pickles. Easy and delicious.

On Crooked Creek said...

Delores,
Floods of memories from our SouthEast Kansas years and HUGE gardens came rushing over me when I read your post! The ladies in town would head down to our garden plot arriving in their fall coats, tied head scarves and baskets, bowl, or buckets to fill the last of the green tomatoes before the killing frost. Oddly enough, we where never invited to partake of the "Fried Green Tomatoes". Thank you for this post!. . .and for the memories!
Fondly,
Pat

Cyndia said...

I love fried green tomatoes. Down south we use cornmeal but I can see using panko too. My grandmother used to make sweet tomato pickles, similar to this recipe. http://southernfood.about.com/od/picklesrelishes/r/r80810e.htm

Emily {Frilly Details} said...

I'm so jealous you made fried green tomatoes! My tomatoes are long gone so I'll have to wait until next spring.

Jacqueline said...

I have wanted to try these after I had some fabulous ones with a garlic aioli in Charleston. I still have quite a few.

I started picking them all and then putting them in a shallow box in the garage. They slowly ripen and I have tomatoes for about 6 more weeks. It works great.

Bonnie said...

Just picked off all our green tomatoes from our plant because it will soon freeze here and because my one plant was so unsightly. Thanks for the idea about hors d'oeuvres -will do that tonight! Will tuck your spagetti con pomodori verdi idea away for another time.

Casa Très Chic said...

It looks so tasty!
Delicious post.
Have a nice weekend.
Tereza

Southerncook said...

I am a southerner that dearly loves Fried Green Tomatoes and after reading your post I am hungry for them. I have never used Panko as my breading but will have to try it soon. I love them sprinkled with feta and served with a remoulade sauce.

Carolyn/A Southerners Notebook

Kathy said...

I just read an article on the drive down south about Fannie Flagg, she wrote the book fried green tomatoes....I never knew that!

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