Fried Green Tomatoes

As I mentioned earlier, it’s not tomato season in New York, where I live, but in Florida, where I grew up and where my parents live, there are pretty much no seasons. It’s just hot all the time. And in the summer, it’s hotter. So when I went down to visit my parents a couple weeks ago, I was thrilled to see my moms garden overflowing with tomatoes. I haven’t had good tomatoes since late last summer and I wanted to make the most of it. A lot of them were still green though so I decided to make some simple fried green tomatoes. I fried them in olive oil which added more flavor than regular canola oil for the perfect sweet, crispy slivers.

Ingredients:
4 green (under-ripe) tomatoes
2 cups flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups whole wheat panko bread crumbs
1 lemon, juiced

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot to about 325 degrees.
2. Slice tomatoes 1/8- 1/4 inch thick
3. Season flour and bread crumbs with salt and pepper.
4. Coat tomatoes in flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs, shaking off excess.
5. Add to hot oil, turning once until golden brown.
6. Drain on paper towels, season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve warm.