The cicada’s are back, the weather is typical for this time of year: hot and humid and The Professor and I have enjoyed quite a bit of time outdoors in our garden. We have already planted second crops of some veggies and we had a successful first harvest of honey from our bee hives – which I will share later this week. And in case you didn’t know, The Professor has a brand spanking new job at a new university: Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis aka IUPUI; it’s been a really good summer.
Our tomatoes got a slow start this season because of all the rain early in the season and in fact, the ones we initially planted didn’t make it so we purchased six plants from a local nursery and those are going strong. In my world, there is nothing like a sun-warmed, straight-from-the-garden, fresh-picked tomato; a little pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper is all I really need.
But sometimes . . . occassionally . . . at least once every summer . . . I crave a good fried green tomato; tangy, crunchy and typically served with buttermilk dressing, I paired mine with Sabra’s Farmer’s Ranch Greek Yogurt Dip. If you have tomatoes in your garden or you see green tomatoes at your local Farmer’s Market you might want to grab a few to make a batch; fried green tomatoes make a great starter for summer meals eaten al fresco while the cicadas serenade – enjoy!
Disclosure: I am being compensated for sharing Sabra products with our readers; however, everything I write here are my own words, my own opinion, and my own experiences.
NOTE: You’ll need 3 medium-sized plates for coating the tomatoes and I find a cast-iron skillet works best for frying; the process is a tad messy but the results are worth it!
GLUTEN-FREE FRIED GREEN TOMATOES WITH FARMER’S RANCH DIP
Serves 4-6 as an appetizer
INGREDIENTS:
- ¾ cup gluten-free AP flour, your choice (reserve 1/4-cup for dusting the slices)
- ½ cup gluten-free corn meal
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup kefir (I use this brand)
- 2 large green tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
- Sabra Farmer’s Ranch Greek Yogurt Dip, for topping – you can thin with a tiny bit of milk if you prefer a thinner sauce
- Grape seed oil for shallow frying (about 2-inches of oil in the skillet)
METHOD:
- In the first shallow dish, add reserved ¼- cup gluten-free AP flour and a pinch of kosher salt; set aside
- In the second shallow dish, whisk egg and kefir together with another pinch of salt; set aside
- In the third shallow dish blend flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper and cayenne; set aside
- On medium heat, add enough oil to your skillet to fill about 2-inches; have a cooling rack nearby to place tomatoes once they’ve finished cooking
- Slice tomatoes, coat each side with flour, dusting off the excess; dip in egg/kefir mixture and finally coat both sides with the flour/cornmeal mixture
- Set each coated tomato on a parchment-lined baking sheet
- Once all the tomatoes have been coated and the oil in the skillet is hot, fry tomatoes in batches, 2-minutes on each side and transfer to cooling rack; add a pinch of salt as they come out of the skillet. Don’t crowd the pan – my 10-inch skillet held about 4 slices at a time
- Serve with Farmer’s Ranch Greek Yogurt Dip