Fried Green Tomatoes

serves 6–8

A Southern classic. Do yourself a favor and serve it over a bed of fresh greens. Your belly will thank you! We found that a spur-of-the-moment yogurt sauce with salt, pepper, and paprika complemented these fried treats well.

½ cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup coarse cornmeal
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. paprika
3 medium-size green tomatoes, sliced thin
Olive oil
Salt to taste

To bread the tomatoes, gather three shallow dishes. In the first, place ¼ cup flour. In the second, whisk together egg and buttermilk. In the third, combine ¼ cup all-purpose flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, and paprika.

Pour olive oil to a depth of ¼ to ½ inch in a large cast-iron skillet; heat to 375°.

Dredge tomato slices in the first dish of plain flour, then dip in egg mixture, then coat in cornmeal mixture. Working in batches, place tomatoes gently into hot oil and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels or a rack. Sprinkle hot tomatoes lightly with salt.