Fried Green Tomatoes with Roasted Red Pepper Remoulade

    I am not sure you can get much more Southern or much more summer time than fried green tomatoes! I have been making these for years now and get so excited when I see green tomatoes in the grocery store.  Often I am tempted to order them from restaurants and then am sadly disappointed when they don't taste nearly as good as my own.

   I remember reading Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe years ago and then watching the movie when it was released.   Despite the very gruesome ending, I still love both the book and the movie.  I have no memory of ever hearing of friend green tomatoes before this context and it was years before I ever tried them.  I love all things tomato but the thought of unripe ones just did not sound appealing to me.

  The first place I ever tried these was with my husband (boyfriend at the time) and his mom at a chain restaurant called Cook's.  I am not even sure this chain is still around anywhere.  The appetizer was delicious and I soon began ordering them at other places.  My very favorite were from another restaurant chain that is no long in existence called Mick's.  This was an Atlanta chain and they served their tomatoes with a remoulade and feta cheese on top.  Once I began experimenting with making my own at home, I knew I had to duplicate this version.

   I don't love a whole ton of fried foods so for years owning a deep fryer seemed frivolous to me.  I have memories of relatives using Fry Daddies and the amount of grease that ended up on the counter just seemed like too much trouble to me.  Instead, on those rare occasions that I wanted to fry things,  I would just use a skillet or a pot on the stove.  I always struggled, though, to get the temperature right so I finally gave in and bought a deep fryer recommended to me by a friend.  I was amazed at the results and the very little effort it took to clean the machine up!  I highly, highly, highly suggest you think about purchasing the Emeril T-Fal Deep Fryer.  The oil gets filtered and drains into a box that you then very easily repour into the basin the next time you want to fry.  The very best part is that almost every part goes into the dishwasher!

  As for the remoulade, you need to begin making this by roasting your red pepper.  If you have never roasted a red pepper (or a yellow one or an orange one) because it sounds too hard, go buy yourself a pepper to roast right now!  Today!  This is one of the easiest kitchen tricks and the peppers can be used in so many different recipes or just thrown on a salad.

   Cut your pepper in half and remove the seeds. Lay the two halves with the skin side facing up on a baking sheet lined with foil.

   Adjust the oven rack to the very top.  Place the pan in the oven and turn the broiler on high.  Be sure to leave the door open while you do this.  Broil the peppers until the skin is completely blackened.  It will look as if you have ruined the peppers but I promise, this is what it takes to get the skins off easily.

   Remove the peppers from the oven and immediately place them into a brown lunch sack.  Fold the top over and leave them in the bag until they are completely cool.

   At this point, the skins should peel off very easily.  I pulled the peel entirely off of the top one but left the bottom one half way on so that you could see the difference.

  Now you are ready to make your sauce with these!

  Let's talk about frying those tomatoes.  I use a mixture of equal parts seasoned flour and cornmeal.  My mom buys this brand for me in Virginia and brings it down to me when she comes to visit.  It is the best but if you can't get your hands on it, you could use any seasoned flour and cornmeal.

  Before I coat the tomatoes in the cornmeal/flour mixture, I dredge them in a mixture of beaten eggs splashed with a tablespoon or so of milk.  How many eggs depends on how many tomatoes you are frying.  Be sure to assemble everything so that dropping them into the fryer is simple.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Roasted Red Pepper Remoulade

Remoulade Recipe:
1 red pepper, roasted and peeled
1/3 C. sour cream
2 T. cream cheese
1/4 C. mayonnaise
1 T. basil, roughly chopped
2 t. minced garlic
2 t. balsamic vinegar
1/4 t. salt
ground pepper to taste
1/4 t. cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Tomatoes:
green tomatoes, sliced about 1/4" thick
2 eggs, beaten well
2 T. milk
cornmeal
seasoned flour
vegetable oil
feta cheese

Add milk to eggs.  Mix together equal parts cornmeal and seasoned flour.  Dredge tomatoes in egg mixture and then in cornmeal mix.  Drop into oil heated to 350 degrees in an electric deep fryer or use a skillet with about an inch of hot oil.  You can test the oil in the skillet to see if it is hot enough by sticking the end of a wooden spoon in it.  If strong bubbles build around the spoon, your oil is ready to use.

Fry until the tomatoes are golden brown.  Remove from oil and drain well on a paper towel covered plate.

Top warm tomatoes with feta cheese and serve with Roasted Red Pepper Remoulade.