Fried Green Tomatoes With Tomato Vinaigrette

Photo: flickr user The Gifted Photographer

Ingredients

1/2 cup Buttermilk

1 Egg

1 tablespoon Flour

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lrg Green tomato (about 1/2 to 3/4 pound), cut into 1/2-inch slices

Vegetable oil for frying

1/2 cup Cornmeal

1 lrg Ripe tomato, seeded and chopped

1 Garlic clove, minced

1 Shallot, minced

8 Freshly picked basil leaves, plus extra for garnish

3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Tabasco pepper sauce, to taste

4 ounces Ricotta salata, crumbled

Preparation

In a shallow dish, whisk together buttermilk, egg, flour and salt and pepper to taste. Place tomato slices in mixture. Place cornmeal in a shallow dish and season with salt.

In a large heavy skillet heat 1/4-inch of vegetable oil. When hot but not smoking, dredge tomato slices in cornmeal and fry until golden brown and crisp. Be sure to not overcrowd the skillet. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

To make vinaigrette, combine the tomato, garlic, shallot, basil leaves and vinegar in a blender. Blend until smooth and add oil in a stream with salt and pepper and Tabasco to taste.

To serve, place fried green tomatoes on a plate, drizzle with dressing and top with crumbled ricotta salata. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs.