This kitchen adventure was inspired by a dish at one of our favorite restaurants in One of my favorite dishes there is the fried green tomatoes on top of goat cheese grits...I mean, what's not to love? (Also of note is the grilled cheese and homemade tomato soup. You can choose 2 from a whole list of cheeses for the sandwich. My fav combo is the Havarti and goat cheese. Yum!) This is my first attempt to recreate the dish, and Peter and I voted it to be about on par with THC's. However, I think this was mostly due to the delicious, fresh green tomatoes I scored at the Yorktown Farmer's Market. Fresh tomatoes is a must to get the perfect tangy, juicy flavor here. I got a recipe for the batter for the tomatoes on allrecipes.com and just kind of flew by the seat of my pants for the grits...
***Tip #1: I made the mistake of preparing the grits too early. I would put this off until you're just about done with the tomatoes. The tomatoes can sit and cool for a bit, but the longer the grits sit and cool, the lumpier they get. Also, if the grits are getting too thick as you're cooking them, just add a little water until you get the consistency you like.***
P.S. I realize that fried foods are not exactly on the top of the healthy list these days, but this dish is truly a treat. Although it might not be low calorie exactly, it's still healthy in the sense that everything is fresh and not completely processed. Plus, good tomatoes are only around for a short time...gotta take advantage of them while they're here!
Fried Green Tomatoes
4 large green tomatoes
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tsp coarse kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 qt. vegetable oil
~16 fresh basil leaves, shredded (I usually roll about 4/5 of these together at a time and slice thinly with a very sharp knife)
1. Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. ***Tip #2: It's important not to slice too thin here because you want the slices to be firm enough to hold up through the frying process. Also, unlike a lot of fried foods, the insides are the delicious part here...you definitely want to have enough tomato to taste it!***
2. Whisk eggs and milk together in a medium bowl. Scoop flour into a shallow dish. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper in another shallow dish. ***Tip #3: Best to use a shallow dish with sides here if you have one. A flat plate will leave you with a huge mess!*** Dip tomatoes into flour to coat. Then, dip tomatoes into milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumbs to coat.
3. In a large skillet (I used a 10 inch cast iron skillet), pour vegetable oil (enough so there is about 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over medium heat. ***Tip #4: Your skillet will heat up as you go so play the unit temp. by ear. If the tomatoes are cooking too quickly, you may need to adjust as you go.*** Place tomatoes into the skillet. Don't let the tomatoes touch each other or the coating will come off! When the tomatoes are browned, flip them and fry the other side. Let rest on a plate covered with paper towels. ***Tip #5: There will be quite a few tomatoes, so I layered them with a paper towel between each single layer. The coating is delicate so be careful not to scrape it off.***
Goat Cheese Grits
6 cups water
1 tsp salt
2 cups corn grits or polenta
4 oz goat cheese ***Add more to taste
1/2 cup shredded pecorino romano cheese (or parmesan)
1. Bring water and salt to a boil in a deep Dutch oven. Gradually add the grits and lower the temp. to a simmer. ***As soon as the grits/polenta absorb the water, they pop and spray everywhere, so I covered the pot once I added the grits.***
2. Keep stirring the grits so they don't stick to the bottom. Mine cooked quite quickly (about 5 minutes), so keep an eye on them and take them off the heat immediately after you get them to the consistency you like. Add a little milk or water here if they are too thick.
3. Add the cheese and more salt, to taste. Fresh ground black pepper is also a nice addition. Stir to combine and melt the cheese. Top with fried green tomatoes and fresh shredded basil. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
