Monday, June 25, 2012

Fried Green Tomatoes with Homemade Buttermilk Dressing

A few years ago for our 9th wedding anniversary Jeremy and I spent the week without kids in Savannah, Georgia.  One of the highlights of our trip was on the last night when we attended Chef Joe Randall's cooking school.  The food was to die for and Chef Joe sent us home with all of the recipes.  Our favorite is fried green tomatoes with homemade buttermilk dressing.  I have simplified and adapted the recipe to our taste and it has become a family favorite.  It also gets rave reviews by everyone I make it for.  Please know that this is not Chef Joe’s recipe but his inspired mine.
fried green tomatoes
To start with you need
Green Tomatoes
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Slice the tomatoes about a 1/4 in. thick
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Next and this is VERY important
lay the slices out flat and sprinkle with salt.
Leave them flat for 20 minutes to an hour.
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After that blot all the excess water that the salt pulls out with paper towels.
Flip and start over.
You will use lots of paper towels and if you are cheap like me this
WILL
make you crazy.
That is until you taste the first tomato, at that point you will throw the whole roll of paper towels in the trash and never think about them again.
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Mix an egg with 1/2 cup of buttermilk.  Dip the tomatoes into this mixture.
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Mix 1/2 cup of cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon red pepper
(note- this is spicy)
Dip the tomatoes into it.
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Then fry in very hot peanut oil, a couple of minutes on each side.
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Drain well and place on a plate covered in a paper towel.
(Yes, that is fried squash in the background….DON’T JUDGE)
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Up Next,
Buttermilk Dressing
1 cup Duke's Mayo
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh parsley
2 teaspoons fresh basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
put all of this in a Mason jar and shake well.
Drizzle the tomatoes with the homemade buttermilk dressing
and
Enjoy
fried green tomatoes
Cha Cha
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7 comments:

Jemsmom said...

Oh Cha Cha... you had me at fried!!! I hate tomatoes but LOVE fried green tomatoes! I had them in January for the first time in ... SAVANNAH!!! We went to the Chart House for our anniversary and our B&B owner had ordered them for us as an appetizer. I would have never ordered them myself, but oh was I glad she did! They are phenomenal! I can't wait to try this. I have to find a way to fry things in oil without it going everywhere and stinking up the house. I also have to find green tomatoes. I don't think I have ever seen them at the store.

Thank you for sharing!!

Karen said...

Oh yummm! Savannah is definitely on my bucket list. My daughter was on Paula Deen's show and ate at her restaurant. I heard how beautiful the town is. How long is the dressing good for? Two weeks or so?

Unknown said...

wow, something new! and so chic!

~ Fashion Spot ~

Susan Shull said...

Oh, yummy! I can't wait to try this. On our recent vacation, I had a BLT with fried green tomatoes inside-talk about delicious-and yours sound positively delightful. Thanks for sharing with this Yankee!

Anonymous said...

Cha Cha,

These look absolutely scrumptious! I am keeping this recipe to use one day soon. :) Thomas and I got engaged in Savannah. Beautiful place with lots of delicious food.

Deborah

Mary said...

looks amazing. Never made fried green tomatoes. New follower - hope you follow back. Thanks

http://vintageboomer.blogspot.com/

Adelina Priddis said...

next time I have some green tomatoes, I'll give this a try! It sounds so yummy with the buttermilk dressing.