Every week or so, it seems that the movie Fried Green Tomatoes airs on one of the myriad cable television stations. I watch it every time. It’s a sweet story, and unlike most “Southern movies,” the accents are not too bad. One of my favorite scenes is when the Kathy Bates character, Evelyn Couch, takes a plate of fried green tomatoes to Ninny Threadgoode, played by the incomparable Jessica Tandy, for her birthday. I like the way she thinks! Don’t make the mistake of coating too many tomatoes at a time. The coating won’t stick and the tomatoes will become soggy. Set up a workstation with the eggs and dry ingredients leading to the skillet of oil. Your tomatoes will taste better and it will help with cleanup.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Break the eggs into a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Combine the cornmeal and flour in a second shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Step 2
Line a plate with paper towels and set near the cooktop.
Step 3
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working a few at a time, season the tomato slices lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Dip the tomato slices into the egg mixture and shake off the excess. Place the dipped slices in the cornmeal mixture, sprinkle breading over, and press to adhere. Turn over and repeat to coat on both sides. Gently shake off the excess and place without crowding in the heated skillet.
Step 4
Fry the tomato slices until they are golden on one side, about 3 minutes, then gently turn them with an offset spatula or metal turner and continue cooking until golden on the other side. Remove them to the prepared plate. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
dinner
Step 5
Not so long ago, dinner was served at noon all across the South. Midday dinner seems confined to Sundays now, but within the past generation, it was the main meal of the day. This was not a soup-and-salad combination or a sandwich with a bag of chips. Dinner was a full meal of meat, vegetables, and cornbread or biscuits. The women did the cooking in the cool morning before the day became too hot, and dinner was served when farmers needed to escape the hot sun.
