Cristina's Fried Green Tomatoes

Its Mid- May here in Vegas, which means that one of our growing seasons is almost over before the harsh, sizzling clutches of summer starts. My garden is coming along nicely. I've already harvested a couple of Artichokes, some peppers, and a lot of radishes. Unfortunately the Brussels Sprouts were a bust, even though they grew to be quite large and aphid infested.
   
I noticed that a lot of tomato plants have been popping up in the garden. I bought one plant from the nursery, and purposely planted another from seed, but there's tomato plants all over the place. I think this has to do with the fact that last fall I just let the dead plants lay where they may, and the seeds have germinated. So I'm anticipating tomatoes coming out of my ears this year, which makes me reallllly happy.

I went out to the garden this afternoon to grab some herbs for dinner, and was struck with a thought- I have a few green tomatoes, why not make up some Fried Green Tomatoes? So I did, loved it, and decided to post the recipe here.

Cristina's Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients

• A green tomato or two, depending on how many you're feeding. One tomato is enough for 2 people as a side dish. 
• Egg whites (for one tomato I used 2). whip them up a little bit with a fork. 
• Bread crumbs. I ended up having a lot left over, so I would suggest using approximately 1/2 to 3/4 cup. 
• Corn meal. I would use about a 1/4 cup. Adjust to how crunchy you want your breading. 
• fresh or dried herbs. I didn't measure, and neither should you. At this moment I added chives, tarragon, oregano, and dill from the garden. Use whatever amount or types you want. 
• Seasoning salt. I added a couple of shakes of Lawry's Seasoning Salt, and then twice that of Tony Chachere's original Creole seasoning (love this seasoning!). You can use any kind of seasoning you like.
• Garlic Salt (or regular) Salt and Pepper. 
• Frying oil. I used peanut because it's what I had on hand. Enough to line the pan and fill it about a 1/4 inch. 

Directions

1. Before you get started, stick the tomato in the freezer. Leave it in there while you get the other ingredients ready, or about 15 minutes. 
2. Chop up the herbs if you're using fresh. Then squeeze them in a paper towel to make sure they're dry.
3. Combine the bread crumbs, corn meal, dried herbs, and seasoning into a bowl. 
4. Set up a work station next to the stove- first a bowl with the egg whites, then the bowl of dry mixture closest to the pan. 
5. Cut up the tomato (I went with 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick), and sprinkle garlic salt and pepper on both sides. 
6. heat the pan on medium/ medium high heat, then add the oil. (might need to adjust the heat during the cooking process if the slices are turning too dark brown)
7. When the oil sizzles when you throw in a couple of flakes of bread crumbs, its ready. 
8. dunk a tomato in the egg white mix, let it drain a bit, then put it in the bread mix. Make sure it is well coated. 
9. Carefully put the tomato in the hot oil. Repeat with other slices, until the pan is full but not crowded. 
10. when the mixture is golden brown on the bottom, flip the slices over. 
11. As soon as the slices are browned on both sides, take them out with a spatula and drain them on a paper towel. 
12. Repeat until all slices are cooked. 

Eat them while they're nice and hot! I love that they were tangy and slightly crunchy. I had so much leftover mixture and egg whites, that I decided to cook a yellow squash the same way, which also turned out delicious!