This year my tomato crop was such a bonanza that we ate tomato-something almost every day!
I am not complaining. Fresh garden tomatoes are among the treasures of the food world.
But it’s getting on in the season, the weather is turning, the Jewish holidays are around the corner and hundreds of those little things will never ripen from green to red in time.
I made some chutney of course.
I like fried green tomatoes in a sandwich but the cherry tomatoes are too small for slicing, coating and frying.
So I tried making them whole.
Yes!
Crunchy outside — and when you bite in, you get spurts of sweet-tart juicy tomato.
Terrific as an hors d’oeuvre. If you have extra, little, green tomatoes, try this:
Fried Green Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
lemon juice
18-24 small green cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon Sriracha or other hot sauce
1/2 cup matzo meal or breadcrumbs
salt, freshly ground black pepper and garlic powder to taste
vegetable oil
Combine the mayonnaise, basil and a teaspoon or two of lemon juice in a small bowl. Taste and add more lemon juice if desired. Set aside. Wash and dry the tomatoes. Place the flour in a bowl, add the tomatoes and toss them around to coat them completely. Beat the egg and hot sauce together. Immerse the tomatoes into the egg and roll them around to coat each one completely. In a bowl, combine the matzo meal with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Add the egg-coated tomatoes a few at a time and roll them around to coat them completely. Place the coated tomatoes on a cake rack or other surface for at least 20 minutes, to “air dry” slightly. Heat vegetable oil in a deep pan to a depth of about 2-inches. When the oil is hot enough to make a crumb sizzle quickly, add the tomatoes, a few at a time and cook them, turning them occasionally, for 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the tomatoes and set the on paper towels to drain. When all the tomatoes are fried, serve them with the basil mayonnaise.
Makes 6-8 servings