I'm Still a Southern Gal!

Perhaps I am missing Texas or perhaps I was inspired by tomato season...either way I thought it would be fun to experiment with a southern classic, fried green tomatoes! Who doesn't love 'em? I picked some up from Green City Market Wednesday morning. Leaning Shed Farm had an excellent selection from which I chose a variety called green apple. These tomatoes were firm enough to fry up which is what makes an excellent fried green tomato. To go along, we whipped up some tarragon aioli using fresh herbs from my garden. These make a great dinner served on top fresh arugula or other veggies for a complete southern, vegetarian meal! Enjoy!

Fried Green Tomatoes
2 large green tomatoes
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup all purpose flour
Paprika to taste
Garlic powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
Vegetable oil for frying

Tarragon Aioli
2 egg yolks at room temperature
4 garlic cloves
I TBS fresh tarragon
1 lemon
1 cup olive oil
Salt to taste

For the tomatoes: beat the egg in a bowl and set aside. Combine all dry ingredients. Slice the tomatoes about a 1/2 inch thick. Dip slices into egg wash then fully coat them with the dry ingredients. Bring vegetable oil to a very high heat, ideally using a cast iron skillet for maximum browning. Fry the tomatoes about one minute each side.

For the aioli: In a food processor mince the tarragon and garlic. Then add the egg yolk. The mixture will come to a paste. Slowly add the olive oil while mixing. Add the squeeze of one lemon and add salt to taste. Refrigerate before serving.