Your mid-week meal made easy: Southern black-eyed peas and fried green tomatoes.
By SHYANNE GRIFFIN
Looking for a little Southern-style comfort food? Then these easy and delicious recipes are for you.
I love these fried green tomatoes that you can enjoy as a side or on a BLT. (Read a little further to find out how I do it.)
(BLACK-EYED PEAS)
WHAT’S IN IT
1 ham hock, about ½ pound
2 quarts water
1 16-oz. package frozen black-eyed peas
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon Lowry’s seasoning salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
½ teaspoon hot sauce (I like Red Devil)
HOW TO MAKE IT
Place ham hock in a stockpot and add water. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook 1- 1 ½ hours.
The longer you cook the hock, the stronger the stock will be. When meat is done, you may need to add more water (1-2 cups).
Add black-eyed peas, butter, seasoning salt, pepper and hot sauce, then return to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover and cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes, or until the peas are done to your liking
(FRIED GREEN TOMATOES)
WHAT’S IN IT
2 large eggs
½ cup of cornmeal
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
Black pepper, to taste
2 large green tomatoes, sliced ½ inch thick
Vegetable oil for frying
HOW TO MAKE IT
Whisk eggs in shallow bowl. Mix the cornmeal, cornstarch, salt and a few grinds of pepper in a separate bowl.
One at a time, dip the tomato slices first in the eggs, letting the excess drip off, and then in the cornmeal mixture, turning to coat both sides; place on a baking sheet or platter.
Fill a large skillet with ½ inch of vegetable oil; heat over medium-high heat until hot (you’ll know the oil is hot when you sprinkle a little of the cornmeal mixture in and it sizzles).
Add tomatoes to the skillet and fry, untouched, until golden and crispy, 2-3 minutes. Use tongs or a slotted spatula to remove them to a paper-towel lined plate.
One of my favorite ways to eat fried green tomatoes is by building a BLT with them.
Spread some mayonnaise on a piece of toast, layer on two strips of crispy bacon, one to two fried tomato slices, add some fresh lettuce leaves, and top with a second slice of toast.