Yankee Fried Tomatoes

I love tomatoes. I eat them almost every day and have found so many ways to fix them. Living in the South, fried green tomatoes are pretty much the only fried tomato that's accepted...haha. My own recipe for fried tomatoes has caused an uproar among some of my friends, with looks of scorn and disgust! I jokingly call them Yankee fried tomatoes. However, once they give in and try them, they are usually wowed.

There really is no recipe as such for these, so I'm just going to walk you through it. Heres a list of what you'll need:

• red (or pink) tomatoes
• bread crumbs
• Parmesan cheese (the dried kind in the can)
• salt and pepper
• oil for frying
• egg

Wash your tomatoes well and dry them. Slice into 1/4 or 1/2 inch slices, depending on how much tomato taste you want. Make a mixture of half bread crumbs and half Parmesan cheese, adding some salt and pepper, mixing well. Beat an egg, dip your tomato slices in it and then into the bread crumb/Parmesan mixture. Coat the tomatoes well with the mixture, gently patting it in so it will stick better. In a frying pan, heat about a 1/4 inch of oil to medium and fry your slices until golden brown. EAT!

I make my own bread crumbs, using French or Italian bread ,done in a blender or processor. I just find that they taste so much fresher, but it's not absolutely necessary. I make a large batch and then freeze them, taking out what I need. They don't take long to defrost once you spread them out. I also sometimes use pink tomatoes that aren't quite fully ripened. You just don't want to use a very ripe, soft tomato. You need it to be at least somewhat firm. This is great for the winter time when tomatoes are not at their peak.

I like them simple, without any added seasonings, but I'm sure some of you will come up with your own versions and I would love to hear about them. I hope you enjoy my Yankee fried tomatoes!