fear of frying

Yesterday was Farmers Market Saturday but this is our last official Summer weekend, so our yearly surfeit of riches---endless good tomatoes and basil---is about to draw to a close. Alas. We can grow basil year round but if we are to fry tomatoes, they better be sensational and so this is the time.

Have no fear, they are easy to make and insanely delicious and the ingredients are so simple: a bit of cornmeal or flour for dredging, fresh, washed basil leaves, a little salt and fresh ground pepper. That’s it.

Slice the tomatoes vertically so they hold together in the heat. You are gonna have to flip them in the pan.

Ready? Here we go, turn on the heat, add a couple tablespoons of good olive oil to a large flat pan, 

...then melt about 2 tablespoons of butter in the warming oil. Use both. The oil will raise the burning temperature but the butter adds good flavor and it’s all gotta be very hot.

Dredge the tomato slices in your choice of coating, the flour fries to a lighter crust, the corn meal makes a crunchy coating. I’m doing a bit of both.

Tap off the extra flour then drop it into the hot oil/butter. It should be so hot the coating immediately begins to sizzle.

Fill the pan, don’t crowd them or they will steam, but you can fit them in fairly tightly.

Sprinkle with salt and grind in lots and lots of pepper.

The cooking will soften the peppery heat, so you’ll have to use a lot.

When they brown and get crispy, flip them over. Mmmmm. The flour turns crispy but see the cornmeal on the left? Crustier.

Browned and crispy on both sides? Great, get ‘em out and on a plate. It’s basil’s turn.

Add more butter to the hot pan. 

I never said this was health food.

Now dump in your basil for another immediate sizzle.

Move the basil around to pick up the bits of tomatoey goodness left behind. At first the basil will just whither, but then it will turn a darker green as it gets crispy.

Salty, crispy basil is heaven.

And that’s it. Dress the tomatoes with the basil and dig in but be careful, the tomatoes are hotter inside than you think. A Summer wine pairing might be anything white from France’s Loire Valley because the high acidity would be an excellent foil to the oily, salty tomato. But for me?

This is beer food.