Fried Green Tomatoes & Grits

Submitted by Sam_I_Am.

Roasted Tomato Grits

• 1 T Tomato Paste
• 1 T Olive Oil
• 1/2 t Red pepper flakes
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 1/2 Red Onion
• 4 Tomatoes
• 4 C Chicken broth
• 1 C Cornmeal
• 1 handful Parmesan cheese
• Salt

Mix the paste, oil, & flakes, and toss the onion and garlic in it. Note that I use Amore tomato paste. It wins Cook's Illustrated's taste tests every time, and comes in a convenient tube instead of can. (Cans always have double what I need and leave a tinny taste.)

Anyway, setup the garlic & onion on a piece of aluminum foil and arrange the halved tomatoes on a baking rack, juice down. If you have some leftover oil, you can toss the tomatoes in that. Roast at 450degrees till roasted. (About 30 minutes.)

Bring the broth up to a boil and slowly shake in the corn meal, stirring the whole time. If you pour too fast, you'll get lumps. Note that I used organic, stone-ground corn meal from a local source. I honestly can't imagine this makes any difference in the final product.

Cover and bake at 350 for 40 minutes, stirring a few times so they stay smooth. While they cook, remove the charred bits from the tomatoes & onions and puree the rest. Add them halfway through the baking. When they're done, add the parmesan cheese.

Fried Green Tomatoes

• 2 Green Tomatoes
• 1 Tube Saltines (1 box = 4 tubes)
• 1/2 C Corn starch
• 1/2 C Flour
• 1 t Cayenne
• 3 Eggs
• Oil for frying

Slice the tomatoes into 1/4" slices and spread out on paper towels. The key to good fried green tomatoes is dry green tomatoes. I put two towels below and two above.

Take the saltines for a spin.

Mix the cayenne, flour, & corn starch. Beat the eggs. For each slice, season with salt & pepper, bread in flour (shaking off any excess), dip in egg, and cover in crumbs. Let them sit for a little to develop a stronger crust.

Heat 1/2" of oil to almost smoking and put a few slices in. Fry a minute on each side (or until golden brown). Remove them to an upside-down drying rack on paper towels. (This way the excess oil is wicked away by the towels, but it's not as gross as putting the fried food directly on the towels.)

Final

Make a fancy shmancy rose out of tomato skin and serve.