Southern Summer Specialty!
I do declare, I can take on a southern accent faster than a 🐈 cat on a hot tin roof. Here’s a recipe to dill your pickle. A true southern specialty, Fried Green Tomatoes. And, just to show you a little extra love 💕 how about a little spicy 🌶 hot homemade buttermilk ranch for the dunken’?
I’m not a fan of frying food for any reason at all, except for green tomatoes. I will fry a green tomato any day of the week. With all our 🍅tomatoes going crazy, it’s just too tempting to fry up some of them before they get ripe.
Green tomatoes are tart and taste great with a crunchy coating and dunked in a buttermilk herb dressing. Green tomatoes really stand up to the heat of the fry pan too But, let me let you in on a little secret, the red ones taste great too, just a little sweet instead of tart.
So my story goes, if life gives you green tomatoes, make Fried Green Tomatoes, and a spicy homemade buttermilk ranch dressing too!
The Tomato “Rules” 👩🏻🍳
First get your dredge ready. Into 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, add 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon crushed, dried oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Mix it up. Into another bowl, add 3 eggs, mixed well. In a third bowl, add 1 cup of cornmeal and 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Mix that up too and set aside. One pound of green tomatoes is about 4-5 small to medium size tomatoes. Cut your tomatoes to about 1/4 inch thickness. Dredge in the flour, then in the egg, then in the cornmeal.
Into a fry pan, add about 1 inch of vegetable oil or olive oil and heat on medium high until 375° . To test to see if the oil is hot enough, just add a tiny pinch of the flour mixture. If it bubble up, it’s good to go. Add your tomatoes, carefully not to splash the oil and also not to overfill the pan.
Fry in batches if necessary. Let each tomato fry for about 3-4 minutes per side, until nicely browned.
When finished, remove with tongs to a rack with a plate underneath. Hit them with some salt before they cool down. Continue frying until they are all done.
Creamy, Spicy, Saucy Goodness For Your Fried Green Tomatoes? Yes, Please!
Nothing fried should ever be served without a sauce, although these tomatoes are awfully delish just as they are. A little sauce only makes them even more tasty!
Into a bowl, add 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup buttermilk. (Hint: If you don’t have buttermilk, make a fake. Just add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to regular milk and let it sit for about 5 minutes then use in place of actual buttermilk). Add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or celery leaves, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, dry dill weed or chopped fresh dill, chopped chives, finely minced garlic, salt and pepper.
Now, for the heat. It’s up to you. I assume if you love hot, you have a bit of an idea how much Tabasco sauce you like. I would add about 3 shakes, which is just about 1 teaspoon. If you don’t appreciate the heat, just leave it out. Mix well and chill, covered until ready to serve. You can make this a day or two ahead.
Serve tomatoes hot from the pan, with a spoonful of sauce on the side. Enjoy!
Fried Green Tomatoes With Spicy Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
For the Fried Green Tomatoes
- 1 lb green tomatoes
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed, dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- vegetable or olive oil for frying
For the Spicy Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley or celery leaves
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (or 1 1/2 teaspoon dry dill weed)
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (or to taste)
Instructions
- Into a small bowl, add all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Mix well. Into another bowl, add 3 eggs, mixed well. In a third bowl, add 1 cup of cornmeal and 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Mix that up too and set aside. Cut your tomatoes to about 1/4 inch thickness. Dredge in the flour, then in the egg, then in the cornmeal.
- Into a fry pan, add about 1 inch of vegetable oil or olive oil and heat on medium high until 375° To test to see if the oil is hot enough, just add a tiny pinch of the flour mixture. If it bubble up, it's good to go. Add your tomatoes, carefully not to splash the oil and also not to overfill the pan.
- Into a bowl, add 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup buttermilk. (Hint: If you don't have buttermilk, make a fake. Just add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to regular milk and let it sit for about 5 minutes then use in place of actual buttermilk). Add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or celery leaves, freshly squeezed lime juice, dry dill weed or chopped fresh dill, chopped chives, finely minced garlic, salt and pepper.
- Now, for the heat. It's up to you. I assume if you love hot, you have a bit of an idea how much Tabasco sauce you like. I would add about 3 shakes, or just 1 teaspoon. If you don't appreciate the hot sauce, just leave it out. Mix well and chill, covered until ready to serve. You can make this a day or two ahead.
Recipe from Karen Harris https://www.bittersaltysoursweet.com
