A few years ago my husband and I took a driving trip through the South, following Southern Living’s guide, “Drives and Dives.” I fell in love with the movie, Fried Green Tomatoes, and had to sample this delicacy at every dive we visited, which included a stop at the Whistle Stop Café in Juliette, Georgia. Yes, it really does exist and does serve Fried Green Tomatoes.
Whistle Stop Café, Juliette, Georgia My order of Fried Green Tomatoes.
Southerners are lucky as they enjoy fresh green tomatoes all summer long. In fact, this veggie is so popular in that neck of the woods that supermarkets even import them during the off-season. Further north, however, the season for green tomatoes is late summer and fall, just before the peak of the harvest, where Northerners can find green tomatoes at farmers markets, specialty food stores, or in their gardens. Until this trip, I hadn’t known much about green tomatoes. I learned they are not a special variety of tomato but rather an immature version of a standard tomato. Unlike ripe, red tomatoes that have a soft, juicy flesh and a balance of both a sweet and savory flavor, green tomatoes have a tart, tangy flavor with just an ever so slight sweetness; and their flesh is firm, which makes them good candidates for frying, broiling, or using in relishes. The skin of green tomatoes is a light- to lime-green color, and their flesh is a bright chartreuse. Green tomatoes have a very firm center and tiny, underdeveloped seeds.
While touring the South, we stopped at Jekyll Island, Georgia, just in time to witness sea turtle nesting season, which begins in May and can last until August. Female loggerhead sea turtles leave the ocean and lay their eggs in the sand. We were fortunate enough to see sea turtle tracks leading from the ocean to their nests, which are called “body pits”. What a fascinating experience!
Our favorite restaurant at Jekyll Island, Georgia, was the Beach House, which served fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese—absolutely to die for! I had to re-create this combination when we returned home. In my neck of the woods it’s time to fry up these tasty wonders. This recipe is the perfect appetizer for your end of summer barbecues.
Beach House Restaurant, Jekyll Island, Georgia
Fried Green Tomatoes with Pimiento Cheese
For the fried green tomatoes:
4 unripe green tomatoes
¾ cup buttermilk
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup cornmeal¼ cup flour
¼ cup grated Romano cheese
¾ teaspoon chile powder½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon large grind black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Using a sharp knife, slice off the ends of green tomatoes and cut each tomato into three ½-inch crosswise slices. In a small shallow bowl, place buttermilk. In a medium shallow bowl, combine panko breadcrumbs, cornmeal, flour, cheese, chile powder, salt, and pepper. Dip tomato slices into buttermilk, then into the panko breadcrumb mixture, pressing the mixture onto the tomato slices to ensure it adheres.
In a deep, heavy electric skillet, pour vegetable oil to a depth of about ½ inch. Heat vegetable oil to 350 degrees F. Add green tomatoes and fry until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Using a slotted spatula, transfer to paper towels to drain. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
For the Pimiento Cheese:
2 cups shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely minced
1 jar (4-ounces) whole peeled pimientos, drained, rinsed, and diced
1 teaspoon white onion, diced
Salt to taste
Large grind black pepper to taste
In the large bowl of a mixer, place cheddar cheese, cream cheese, mayonnaise, cayenne pepper, jalapeño, pimiento, and onion. Beat at a medium speed until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper and mix again to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To serve:
Place fried green tomatoes on a plate. Spoon a scoop of pimiento cheese on top and garnish with a slice of red, ripe tomato, a drizzle of balsamic, and microgreens.
Carol Ann
Carol Ann Kates is the award-winning author of cookbook, Secret Recipes from the Corner Market and Grocery Shopping Secrets. She’s an expert in how to shop, select, and store produce for maximizing home cooking outcomes and minimizing time and money spent. As a former supermarket and deli operator, Carol Ann shares grocery-insider wisdom—the same expertise you used to receive when patronizing a mom-and-pop establishment. Contact her at CarolAnn@CarolAnnKates.com and explore her website, www.CarolAnnKates.com.
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