Fried Green Tomatoes and Parmesan Omelet


I wanted to write about fried green tomatoes. I wanted to write about the glory of using the heat of a fry pan and some oil to turn a hard, green, unripe market tomato into something completely unlike itself. Worked up the words to describe the process of finding ripeness and a hint of sweetness from the hard, unready-for-a-sandwich tomato. I thought about the simple recipe of tomatoes dusted with cornmeal and how they came to life with both crunch from the fried cornmeal and juicy goodness from the heat-induced ripeness. I wanted to talk about the juice of the tomato that ran down my chin when I bit into the fried wheel of goodness.

I planned on writing about the revelation of paring this classic southern dish with a simple omelet made with nothing more than eggs, grated Parmesan, salt and pepper.

But then, I spoke with my landlord. After years of planning and making ready for the big step of becoming a dog owner, my husband and I began the paperwork for adopting a pet. Even though the owner of the building (our landlord’s mother) said yes over a year ago, our current landlord wasn’t so sure.

But…

She says she’ll think about it.

So I say I’ll just sit here with my heart broken until she decides.

Fried Green Tomatoes and Parmesan Omelet
makes 2 servings

For FRIED GREEN TOMATOES:
One firm green tomato. Slice into 1/2 inch rounds
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup olive oil
kosher salt

Sprinkle green tomato with salt on each side. Let sweat for a few minutes. Meanwhile, pour cornmeal onto a plate. When the tomatoes have sweated a bit, place the tomato slices (one at a time) onto the corn meal. Coat the slices with corn meal. Repeat until all tomatoes are ‘breaded’.

Heat pan over medium temperature. Add enough olive oil to give a good layer of oil to cook in. Saute tomatoes until each side becomes a golden color.

Plate and keep warm under a tent of tinfoil in a warm oven.

Meanwhile…

for PARMESAN OMELET
6 eggs (2 eggs and 4 egg whites) *or use the whole eggs if you’re not concerned about too much cholesterol
splash of milk or half/half
half a cup freshly grated Italian Parmesan
salt and pepper

Whisk the eggs and a splash of milk (about 3 minutes) or until light and bubbly. Heat pan over a medium flame. Coat pan with a thin layer of oil. Add egg mixture when pan is good and hot. Use a wooden spoon to move egg mixture around in pan. After 3-4 minutes, when the egg mixture begins to firm up with cooking, add parmesan cheese. Turn on broiler to let heat up. When omelet is mostly cooked and just a little runny on top, put under broiler. The top should cook quickly and puff up under the heat.

Serve immediately.

2 Replies to “Fried Green Tomatoes and Parmesan Omelet”

  1. This is the first fried green tomato post we’ve seen and it’s a great reminder of something we have always talked about, but never cooked! Sometimes waiting for our summer tomatoes to ripen takes so long, now there’s this option. Thanks!

  2. Nice and simple. Looks like even I can make these tomatoes! Going to do just that for breakfast NOW

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