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Lew Larason: Thoughts from an Epicure

Thoughts from an Epicure: Fried tomatoes an early fall favorite

Posted

Updated: October 14, 2021

One of my favorite early fall meals is fried tomatoes. As a child, I ate a lot of them.
My mother had canned all she wanted and we still had lots of tomatoes in the garden. They were sliced and dipped in flour with plenty of salt. Then they were fried in bacon fat or lard, both from our pigs.
Sometimes, that was the whole meal. I still remember the smell of them cooking and the taste of the finished dish.
Another reason this is a favorite is it’s the first meal I cooked for Patti. I had boasted that I could prepare a meal from anyone’s pantry. However, all she had were lots of tomatoes from her garden and two small pork chops in the freezer.
Along with the pork, I turned the fried tomatoes into tomato gravy. That was many years ago. And, I’ve been cooking for her ever since.

Lew’s Fried Tomato Gravy

(serves two)
3 or 4 medium-size tomatoes, ripe or “greenish”
1 cup flour seasoned with pepper or sugar

3-4 tablespoons olive oil for sauteing
2 tablespoons olive oil for roux
2 tablespoons unseasoned flour for roux
1 cup milk for gravy

Put skillet on medium heat. Place seasoned flour in shallow bowl or deep saucer. Remove stem ends from tomatoes. Slice them about ¼-inch wide. Dip slices into seasoned flour, coating both sides. Allow to “rest” on wax paper for a few minutes.

Add oil to skillet. Once hot, saute slices, about 4 minutes per side. After they’re cooked, remove them, then calculate oil to about 2 Tablespoons. Add unseasoned flour to hot oil and mix well. Once blended, slowly stir in milk, constantly mixing. After it’s well blended and smooth, add tomatoes. Allow to simmer for a few minutes. Serve hot on bread or smashed potatoes.

Enjoy and stay safe!

If you have suggestions or questions for this column, please contact me either through this newspaper or directly at guthrielarason@verizon.net.


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