Picking Tomatoes
Veranda On Highland’s fried green tomatoes are my newfound favorite.
By Jan Walsh
Photography by Beau Gustafson
I love fried green tomatoes. And I know where and when—and where and when not—to order them. Now is the time for local, green tomatoes, and my pick of restaurants for them are the chef driven ones, such as Veranda on Highland. Executive chef, Tom Robey recently synthesized a new version of fried green tomatoes: Sauté of Louisiana Crawfish and Andouille over Fried Green Tomatoes. Do try this at home. Or do as I did—enjoy on Veranda’s lovely new open patio.
Crawfish Sauté:
1. Place a large, heavy bottomed sauté pan over medium high heat. Add two tablespoons of oil. Add one tablespoon of minced garlic, stirring constantly until the garlic begins to brown.
2. Add two green onions, two stalks of celery, a diced green bell pepper, ¼ cup of sundried tomato, and one half pound of andouille sausage. Cook for three to four minutes, until the onions turn translucent.
3. Add one tablespoon of thyme, two bay leaves, and one teaspoon of Creole mustard. Add heavy whipping cream, bring to a simmer, and cook until the cream is reduced by half. Add a splash of hot sauce, Worcestershire, and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
4. While this is simmering, slice green tomatoes. Combine enough buttermilk to cover the tomatoes, one tablespoon of Creole seasoning, a splash of hot sauce and Worcestershire into a stainless steel bowl. Marinate the tomato slices in this for two hours.
5. Combine the flour, the cornmeal, and one tablespoon of Creole seasoning in a shallow baking dish. Remove the tomato slices from the buttermilk, shaking off the excess. Coat the slices evenly with the cornmeal, and fry the slices, a few at a time, in 325’ oil. When fried, place in a single layer onto paper towels and reserve.
6. To serve, place a dab of the sauce onto four plates (to keep the tomatoes from sliding). Place a fried tomato slice on each, then layer with the sauté and the second tomato slice. Garnish with Remolaude sauce and a boiled crawfish.