Fried Green Tomatoes

What was I thinking?? All this time I would have sworn I had recipes for my beloved fried green tomatoes posted, as well as how to create a friend green tomato poboy. What in the world!!!

Ok, so here it is:

Fried Green Tomatoes (Annie May Style)

Please! For the love of all things holy, do not make a batter with a lot of flour and milk and I-don't-know-what-all. Unless you want people to think you're from Texas, stick with plain corn meal.

4-6 Green Tomatoes, in 1/4" slices, with peel
salt and white pepper
about 2 cups of yellow corn meal
vegetable oil

I hate to be so vague about the measurements, but this is one of those things I do by taste. Slice your tomatoes and put on a plate. You need them to be a little juicy so the meal will stick. Season your meal. I actually will even add a little hot sauce sometimes, but it depends on the mood. Salt and pepper are really perfect. Probably to 2 cups, 1 tsp. of salt would work. Don't want to over salt, and you can always salt after frying.

Put a cast iron skillet on a medium hot burner. When skillet is hot add oil. When oil is hot drop in 3-4 tomatoes at a time. Don't over-fill as the oil will get cool and you won't get even coloring on your tomatoes. Make sure you have a draining rack placed over a towel. This will keep the slices crisp on both sides, which is kind of a big deal.

When edges start to curl in and turn a bit brown, turn tomato and cook for another minute on the other side. I always figure 1 tomato will feed 1 person well. It should make 2 sandwiches.


Fried Green Tomato Poboys
serves 4

4 hoagie-style sandwich rolls, or petite baguettes
Earth Balance spread
2 Fried green tomatoes, room temperature
2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
Vegan remoulade sauce (see recipe below)
*bonus points* 6 slices Smart Bacon, cooked crisp

In the afore mentioned iron skilled, melt a little Earth Balance and split the sandwich rolls. Toast the insides until golden. This can also be done in the oven, but while the skillet is hot, what the heck.

On each roll smear a generous bit of remoulade sauce, then top with the bacon slices, the tomato slices (about 4 each), then lettuce then more remoulade. My step-father prefers lettuce before the sauce so as not to have a soggy bun, but to me that's why you toast the bread. Whatever. Serve this with oven baked sweet-potato fries and a free-form peach galette for dessert. I seriously want this so badly right now, I can't even tell you!!!




Vegan Remoulade Sauce

2 Tbsp. Vegenaise
1 Tbsp. whole-grain Creole mustard
1 Tbsp. hot sauce (go to http://www.hotsauceplanet.com/ and mention Bunny)
2 tsp. capers
1 Tbsp. celery, diced really fine

Mix all together in a small glass bowl and chill until ready to assemble poboys.