3659. FRIED GREEN TOMATOES with GARLIC, BACON BUTTERMILK SAUCE

8 green tomatoes, sliced ½" to ¾" thick
4 teaspoons freshly-cracked sea salt

Garlic-Buttermilk Coating
2 cups whole buttermilk
4 teaspoons chili sauce
½ teaspoon garlic powder

Breading
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper

Garlic, Bacon Buttermilk Sauce
4 slices thick-cut bacon
1/2 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup whole buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, minced
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped fine
1 teaspoon French Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon chili sauce
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon (each) freshly cracked sea salt and black pepper

Prepare the garlic, bacon buttermilk sauce: Cook at least 4 slices of bacon until nicely browned and cooked thoroughly. Allow bacon to cool and then chop it up into tiny pieces. Combine and mix the buttermilk and mayonnaise in a small mixing bowl. Add the chopped bacon, Italian parsley, chives,mustard, chili sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well, cover and chill.

 

Prepare the tomatoes: Lay paper towels on top of several cookie/baking racks and place in a baking sheet. Lay the tomato slices on the paper towels, generously sprinkling each slice with 1-2 teaspoons of salt. Allow the salted tomatoes to sit and sweat for 30 minutes. Shake the liquid from the tomatoes and pat dry with clean paper towels. Heat a deep heavy pan half-way full of canola or vegetable oil, on the highest setting.

 

Prepare the garlic-buttermilk coating: In a medium sized, shallow baking dish, mix the buttermilk, chili sauce and garlic powder together

 

Prepare the breading: In another medium sized, shallow baking dish, mix the flour, cornmeal, Italian breadcrumbs, garlic powder, and ½ teaspoons each of salt and pepper

 

Preparation of the fried green tomatoes: Place each slice of tomato in the buttermilk mixture and coat well on both sides, and allowing extra milk to drip off. Place buttermilk-coated tomato slices in the flour-cornmeal mixture, covering both sides and slightly pressing down for the dry coating to stick. Repeat the dipping into buttermilk and back into the flour-cornmeal mixture a SECOND time, again gently pressing so that the double-coating sticks. Immediately and carefully place the coated tomato slices into the 'very' hot oil, being careful not to splatter the hot oil and not overcrowding the tomatoes. The slices of tomatoes should be golden grown after about 2-4 minutes. When cooked, carefully remove tomato slices from the hot oil with a large slotted utensil and place on clean paper towels to absorb oil.

 

 

bacon recipe source: Roz Corieri Paige (@miabellavita), La Bella Vita Cucina, July 12, 2014