Fried Green Tomaters

Ok fellow gardeners. Having trouble getting your tomatoes to ripen all the way? I have to watch for birds and insects and I'm often just impatient. So why not fry those bad boys up?? It may not be healthy, but it sure is delicious. And you know what they say... if you're going to eat fried foods, you should probably fry it yourself. So try this recipe out. I love it. Make sure you invite a few people over because in my opinion it's never worth frying for just one or two.

1. So go grab those big green tomatoes off your vines. I have no idea where you buy green ones. HEB? Probably but I have never noticed. Slice them up. I slice about a quarter inch thick. 5 tomatoes will make a ton!

2. Now make your batter. I use flour and add salt (I like to use garlic salt) and pepper to taste. Put this all in one bowl. Then make a bowl with eggs (start with 3) and a splash or two of milk and whisk it together.

3. Now take your frying pan and put it on the stove. Heat your oil (veggie, olive or crisco, yup crisco :). Heat it on a medium heat. I'm serious about that part because oil that is too hot is a bad bad thing.

4. Set up your recovery area as I call it. Remember that brown bag your mom used to use? That or some paper towels that will sop up some of that excess oil when the tomatoes are done. (Think bacon).

5. Oh boy, now we're ready! So take your first tomato slice and dunk it in the egg. Now dip it in your flour mixture. Now send it back to the egg for it's second bath (critical point here people) and then back to the four for it's second coating. Now you are ready to float it in the oil. If your oil is gently bubbling around it then you have a nice temp. Adjust your heat to reach this. Let it cook till it's a soft brown on one side (usually a few minutes), then flip for about 1-2 more minutes of cooking. Now let it cool at base camp.

Some tips:

* I like to use a fork when dunking and floating my tomatoes. Best way to handle the goods over hot oil without losing your crust.
* I serve my FGTs with ranch because it's delicious.
* If your oil starts to get watered down (and it will with tomatoes as they contain a lot of water) or if it starts to smell funky, you need to discard it and start with a fresh batch. NEVER pour oil down your drain (just in case your mother never warned you of that). Put it in a glass jar or pour it over a ton of paper towels. Then do as we did before and bring your new oil to a medium heat. I usually need to dump my oil once when I make this.
* Serve these things when they are nice warm. This is not something you can really make ahead of time. This is a good recipe for when you have "pickers" over- people who love to pick at what you are making as you cook it. It never tastes as good once it's cooled and reheated. So serve as you go.