Everyday I go out into the garden to pick tomatoes and every day I find my mother’s beautifully ripen tomatoes half eaten. Unfortunately, my family garden is suffering from a case of groundhogs. While this terribly upsets me because I see both ripe tomatoes going to waste and whole green tomatoes just on the ground, I am trying to see the upside of this situation.
Here in the South, fried green tomatoes are a staple in our diet. While I generally do not eat many fried foods, this is my weakness. I have grown up my entire life eating this traditional dish both at home and in restaurants where you can get them served on a sandwich, over grits or even on salad. Due to the fact that I now have all of these green tomatoes, I was not going to let them go to waste. Thus I decided to make fried green tomatoes! Taking some inspiration from a local restaurant here in Asheville, Tupelo Honey Cafe, I used their recipe for fried green tomatoes and served them on top of some creamy goat cheese grits! Below is the recipe plus my own additions to make this a full dish!
Fried Green Tomatoes served on top of Goat Cheese Grits with a Fire Roasted Red Pepper Salsa
1 cup of Charleston Favorite’s Stone Ground Grits
2 large or 3 medium green tomatoes
1 1/2 cups white cornmeal
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
1/2 cup water
1/4 (19 ounce) packaged tofu, drained
Canola oil, for frying
1/4 cup goat cheese
2 tablespoons Cucina & Amore Salsa Fire Roasted Red Pepper
Follow the instructions on the back of the grits bag. It will take about 30-40 minutes. Once the grits are cooked, add the goat cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
Core the tomatoes and cut a thin slice off each end so the fruit is flat on both ends. Cut into 4 equal slices for large tomatoes or 3 equal slices for medium tomatoes. On a plate, mix the cornmeal, paprika, and seasoned salt. Set aside. Place the water and tofu into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Pour the mixture into a shallow bowl.
Pour the oil into large cast-iron skillet or heavy saute pan to a depth of 1/2 inch and heat over medium-high heat until bubbling. Working in 2 or 3 batches, dredge the tomato slices, one at a time, in the tofu wash, allowing the excess liquid to drip back into the bowl. Dredge the tomatoes in the cornmeal mixture and place in the hot oil. Cook until golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels before serving.
Serve the grits on a plate and top with fried green tomatoes. Top with fire roasted salsa and enjoy!
I personally really like this fried green tomato recipe because it uses tofu, which supplies protein! If you would like to keep this recipe vegan than do not add the goat cheese to the grits! I hope you enjoyed this dish just as much as I have my entire life! Now get frying and enjoy 🙂
xoxo Sarah
MyFood MyWay 