Fall Foods and Fried Green Tomatoes

This week we received tomatoes that were green to pink and a huge pile of collard greens. Definitely these are signs of fall.

Tomatoes picked before the first frost are often hard, even when you let them ripen in your kitchen window (place them on the ledge, stem side down to ripen). SO....why not make fried green tomatoes? Here is what I do....

Slice the tomatoes (about 1/4 inch thick). Set up two bowls to dredge them - first in a bowl of beatten egg, then in a bowl of corn meal. You can even pat the corn meal into the beatten egg coating if it is not sticking well.

In a skillet heat some oil (in the south we would use either corn oil, or bacon fat - I find that Olive Oil is too strong a flavor - you might try Canola oil or Grape Seed Oil because both of them have a high heat index).

When the oil is hot, place the tomato slices in the oil, and cook until brown, turn over and cook the other side. These are best when hot, but a cold slice on a biscuit is pretty good too.

Collard Greens are a puzzle to my northern friends. In the south they are a constant, since they grow nearly year round (3 growing seasons in most places). Here is what I do....

Remove the stem from the collard with a pairing knife. This will leave you with a large leaf. After you have a stack of stemless leaves, use a large knife to cut into smaller pieces. Like spinach this is going to cook down some.

Par-boil the leaves. This means heat a large pot salted water and once it is boiling, put the leaves in. I use a slotted spoon to put the leaves down into the water. Let them cook for a few minutes (3-5) and then drain them.

While they are draining, heat some fat in a skillet (I use bacon fat, but Olive oil works well here). Add 2 cloves of minced or pressed garlic to the oil, followed by the greens. Stir them around and let them absorb the flavors and continue to cook (2-3 min more).

If you like them a little bit hot, add 1/4 tsp. crushed pepper flakes when you add the garlic. Even my kids will eat this!!!