Contrary to most recipes, fried green tomatoes don’t require a lot of work. You don’t have to fiddle with an egg batter or deep frying. You can do a healthier, speedier version in the oven.
Ingredients: 3 to 6 unripe tomatoes, depending on the size of the fruits and your appetite
Peanut or corn oil
Cooking spray
Salt and pepper
Cornmeal for dredging
Equipment: Heavy duty, extra large rimmed baking sheet (Wal-Mart and other department stores carry these for $10 or less.)
Instructions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, directly over the bottom heating element.
Cut tomatoes into 1/4-inch thick slices. Gently toss slices with several pinches salt, making sure both sides are salted. Let the slices sit for about 5 minutes to draw moisture to the surface — this step helps the cornmeal crust adhere to the tomatoes.
Pour a good bit of cornmeal onto a plate or serving platter and add tomatoes a few at a time, turning the slices until they are well coated with cornmeal.
Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of peanut or corn oil (these oils can get very hot before they start to smoke, so they are good for high-temperature cooking) into the rimmed baking sheet and swirl the pan to coat it with the oil. (You can heat the pan in the oven before adding the oil if you like; this will help keep the slices from sticking.) Scatter a thin layer of salt and pepper over the oil (more anti-sticking juju), then add the tomato slices.
Arrange the slices in a single layer in the pan, leaving a 1/4-inch or so between them. This ensures crispy tomatoes. As with any frying technique, crowding the pan will cause the food to steam instead of fry.
Salt and pepper the slices to your taste and then coat with a non-stick spray. I prefer organic olive or canola oil sprays, but anything will work. You see, without fat the cornmeal won’t get crisp.
Slide the lot onto the lowest oven rack, and set the timer for 10 minutes. The rest is skill and taste. Check them by lifting a slice with a spatula to see whether or not it’s brown on the bottom. If not, cook another 5 or 10 minutes, then flip and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. If they start to burn, turn the oven down to 350 (some ovens burn very hot) and cook until brown on both sides.
Serve as a side dish, snack or entree. They are good served in a biscuit as a sandwich, too. They will keep in the fridge for about three days and are good crisped up in the oven or heated in the microwave (although they won’t be crispy after you nuke them).
Tags: Biscuitpower, Fried Green Tomatoes, oven-fried, recipe, southern biscuits, Southern cooking
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