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Do you remember the film called Fried Green Tomatoes? This film was based on a book by Fannie Flag called Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. The setting was Whistle Stop, Alabama, and from here comes our Alabama inspired recipe…delicious fried green tomatillos!!
Tomatillos?!?! I tried so hard to find green tomatoes at my local grocery stores but had no luck, so I figured tomatillos, which are green and look like a tomato, might be a good substitute for green tomatoes! Tomatillos are called “tomate verde” in Mexico. This means green tomato, so that’s good enough for me! Alabama is known for fried green tomatoes, and you can find it at most restaurants and diners in Alabama. Hence we will give all credit to Alabama for inspiring this delicious dish.
If you are ever in the Birmingham, Alabama area, it would be fun to stop at the Irondale Cafe in Irondale, Alabama. The Irondale Cafe (which opened as a hot dog stand in 1928) was the inspiration for Fannie Flag’s book, and was the original Whistle Stop Cafe. Dining at the Irondale is definitely on my list of things to do if I ever visit the Birmingham area.
To conclude, there’s nothing like down-home Southern cooking! I hope you will find that the Mexican twist on this dish is just as good. 🙂
Alabama Inspired Fried Green Tomatillos
Ingredients
- 3-4 green tomatillos very firm and sliced thickly
- 2 eggs beaten lightly
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup corn meal
- 1/2 ts salt
- 1/2 ts pepper
- 1/2 ts cayenne
- 1/2 ts garlic powder
- 1.5 cups vegetable oil
Garlic Mayo
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the garlic mayo by combining all ingredients and refrigerating until ready to use.
- Slice the tomatillos thickly and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Set up 3 different containers. One will contain the flour and spices, one the egg and milk, and the other the corn meal.
- Add salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic powder to the flour and mix. Lightly beat the eggs with the 2 tablespoons milk. Dredge the tomatillos in the flour mixture. Dip the tomatillo slices into the beaten eggs. Let the excess egg run off the tomatillo. Dredge the tomatillo in the corn meal.
- Get the vegetable oil nice and hot in a heavy skillet. Fry for 2-3 minutes each side until nice and brown, and place on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
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