MoFo Day 7: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Veganstop Cafe

" I may be sitting here at the Rose Terrace Nursing Home, but in My mind I'm over at the WhistleStop Cafe having a plate of fried green tomatoes." -Mrs Cleo Threadgoode June 1986

The first time I saw the movie Fried Green Tomatoes I must have been 10 or 11 and I’ve loved the movie ever since. In fact  I always dreamed of having my own little restaurant because of it. 

Now I'm from Northern Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, and things like fried green tomatoes, black eyed peas, collard/turnip/mustard greens, chicken and dumplings are not common foods in this neck of the woods.  All of these dishes I tried for the first time after watching this movie and eventually a couple years later when I had my first computer in 7^th grade I went online and found a website for the Whistlestop Café, and I used those recipes to make my own . These days you buy Collard greens at three of the local grocery stores year round but at the time I’d ordered seeds from gurneys and had to grow my own. 

My kids and I adore these. I want to try baking them to reduce the oil  but it's way too hot to

turn the oven on today!!

 Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients:

½ cup Soy Milk 

1tsp. Vinegar

½ c. All-Purpose Flour divided

½ c. Cornmeal

Few shakes of Black Pepper

Pinch Cayenne

3 Medium-size Green Tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch slices

Vegetable oil

Salt to taste 

Method:

1. Combine milk and vinegar, set aside.

2. Combine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon cayenne and pepper in a bowl.

3.Cut into 1/3 inch slices.

3. Dredge tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup flour; dip in buttermilk, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.

4. Pour oil to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in a large cast-iron skillet on high heat. Add tomatoes but don’t over crowd you may need to do it in multiple batches, cook until golden on each side. Drain on paper towels or a rack, sprinkle with salt.

*I did use a red tomato, it was a bit too ripe for this but needed to be used before spoiling. Now in northern areas where getting green tomatoes isn't possible unless you grow your own the  rock hard sickly pale orange supermarket tomatoes that threaten to ruin all winter salads and tacos unless left to ripen on the counter tops, are actually pretty perfect for this. Make sure they are firm, and the oil is SUPER hot before you add the tomato slices you want to cook these as quickly as possible so they don't turn to slime!