Notes: Most things taste great when fried, and tomatoes are no exception. The problem with frying ripe tomatoes, however, is their high water content. That’s where green tomatoes come in to save the day: Their natural firmness and low water content keep the batter crispy after cooking, while frying makes the tomato inside the batter soft and delicious.
As with any ingredient, quality matters. We find that locally grown tomatoes have significantly better flavor over shipped-in tomatoes, even organic ones. From our local farmers this season, the green tomatoes have a deep, earthy flavor with hints of green olive. We serve fried green tomatoes with our grilled hanger steak drizzled with red-wine reduction, but they are great as a side to almost any dish.
Ingredients: 11 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups semolina flour
1/2 cup corn flour
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 medium-size, locally grown or organic green tomatoes
1/2 cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions:
1.In
a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk and eggs. In a second medium bowl,
combine semolina flour, corn flour, salt, and pepper (start with 1/2 teaspoon
salt and a pinch of pepper; sweeter tomatoes will need more salt). Slice tomatoes,
skin on, about 1/4-inch thick.
2.Add
olive oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Dip one green tomato slice into buttermilk mixture and then
into flour mixture, shaking off excess. Place tomato slice directly into the
pan. Sauté on one side until golden brown and then turn to cook the other side.
Once both sides are cooked, remove to a paper towel to blot excess oil.
3.Taste the
tomato and adjust salt and pepper in the flour mixture (you can also simply
sprinkle salt on the just-cooked tomatoes, immediately after removing them from
the pan). Once you’re happy with the seasoning, repeat dipping and cooking
process for the remaining tomato slices.
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