Who does not remember the wonderful film Fried Green Tomatoes at the Train Stop? The dish mentioned in the film is typical of the cuisine of the southern United States; fried green tomatoes are crunchy and delicious and make you smile from the very first bite if you're lucky enough to eat them. However, you don't have to travel to Alabama to enjoy them; in this article you will find two recipes, a classic and a beer variant, to cook them at home.
Ingrediants
Traditional recipe
- 4 green tomatoes (unripe)
- 120 ml of buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 70 g of flour
- 5 g of salt
- 2 g of pepper
- Seed or rapeseed oil
- 70 g of corn starch
Beer Recipe
- 4 firm, washed green tomatoes
- Oil for frying (seed or rapeseed)
- 1 egg
- 140 g of flour 00
- 15 g of corn starch
- A pinch of baking soda
- 200 ml of dark beer
- salt
- pepper
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Classic Recipe
Step 1. Choose your tomatoes carefully
Look for the medium-sized and rather hard ones; softer and older fruits tend to become mushy in frying. If you are harvesting them from your own garden, take those that have a slight hint of pink: they are the best to use in this recipe, because they are slightly less bitter than completely unripe tomatoes and have a slight sweet aftertaste, typical of red fruits and mature.
Step 2. Heat a medium sized saucepan
A cast iron skillet is the best choice, but any heavy saucepan can be used. Add 1-1.5 cm of oil to the bottom of the pan. You don't have to drown the tomatoes in oil so don't overdo it.
If you want to give the dish a stronger flavor, add 45 ml of melted bacon fat to the oil and mix until it is well combined. Fat makes tomatoes more flavorful and delicious
Step 3. Wash the tomatoes with cold water
Make sure you have removed any dirt and foreign residue from the surface of the fruit. Pat them dry with kitchen paper before moving them to the cutting board. If you slice them when they are dry, the operation will be easier.
Step 4. Slice the tomatoes
To prevent the slices from splitting during cooking, make sure they are about 6 mm thick. If, on the other hand, you are preparing more full-bodied snacks, just cut the fruit into three parts.
If you fear they are slightly bitter (many green tomatoes are), add a pinch of sugar to both sides of each slice. Sugar counteracts bitterness
Step 5. Prepare the mixture in which you will dip the tomatoes
There are many recipes you can use in this regard; the most common involves mixing 120ml of buttermilk with a large egg. Work the ingredients with a whisk to mix them.
If you don't have buttermilk, beat three eggs and add a dash of milk to make the mixture slightly creamy
Step 6. Create a crunchy breading or smattering for the tomato slices. Again the possibilities are many
The traditional recipe calls for using 70 g of corn starch mixed with 35 g of flour. Add 5 g of salt and 2 g of pepper. Mix the ingredients together and leave them aside for the moment.
If you don't have corn starch, you can use breadcrumbs - perhaps flavored with pepper or other aromatic herbs. Alternatively, crumble some crackers and place them in a bowl. The goal of this step is to make the fried tomatoes slightly crunchy
Step 7. Pour 35g of flour into a container
Lay the tomato slices on top of it to flour both sides evenly. Once this is done, you can transfer the vegetables into the egg and buttermilk mixture making sure they are completely wetted in the liquid. Finally, pass the slices back into the mix of starch and flour (or any other type of breading you have prepared). Make sure the tomatoes are generously coated with crunchy ingredients.
Step 8. Fry the tomatoes
Place each slice in the pan with the boiling oil. Make sure they are well spaced apart, otherwise they will melt together in cooking. Let them cook for 3 minutes on each side. The best way to tell if they are ready is to observe the color: the slices are cooked when they turn golden.
Step 9. Remove them from the pot when they are golden brown
Use kitchen tongs for this and transfer the tomatoes to a paper towel-lined plate. The paper will absorb the excess oil and allow the vegetables to become very crunchy.
Step 10. Serve the fried green tomatoes with salt and pepper
If you wish, accompany them with some sauce for a truly irresistible fried treat.
Method 2 of 2: Beer Recipe
Step 1. Choose medium sized firm green tomatoes
They should be the same type you would buy for the traditional recipe. Finely slice them into even discs. You can also simply cut them into three or four parts.
Step 2. Prepare the batter
In a large bowl, mix 140g of flour, 10g of cornstarch, and a pinch of baking soda. You can also incorporate the herbs you like best, as well as salt and pepper. Add half a can of dark beer and 120ml of cold water and mix the mixture.
A dark beer like ale or lager is perfect, but if you only have light beers available, they are just as good
Step 3. Preheat the oil in a heavy saucepan
Use as much as enough to coat the bottom of the pan with 1cm of oil - you can choose seed or canola. Make sure it is hot by dropping a drop of batter into the oil. If it starts to sizzle immediately with bubbles, then the oil is hot at the right point.
Step 4. Dip each tomato slice into the batter
Make sure both sides are covered evenly with it. Since this is a relatively liquid and slippery batter, you need to soak the tomato slices well.
Step 5. Fry the tomatoes
Transfer the freshly battered slices to the pan to make sure the batter doesn't dribble away. You should fry the tomatoes 3 minutes per side or until golden brown.
Step 6. Remove them from the oil when they become golden
Transfer them to a plate covered with kitchen paper to drain the excess grease and allow them to become even more crunchy.
Step 7. Serve the tomatoes and enjoy them
This dish goes beautifully with a marinara or ranch sauce.
Advice
- You can try other ripe vegetables as much as tomatoes, such as zucchini and gherkins.
- Be careful when slicing tomatoes. When they are unripe they are harder than ripe ones.
