Fried Green Tomatoes with Gutherie’s Sauce {football fridays}

by Melissa on September 9, 2011

In the South, football is a religion.

I both look forward to and dread the fall season. Fall means cooler weather, which after the hot and humid Southern summers, feels glorious. It means the end of summer produce and the return of fall flavors: pumpkin muffins, butternut squash and apple pie.

But it also means football on Saturdays, every Saturday and all day on Saturdays.

I didn’t mind it so much last year, because although I graduated from Georgia Tech, my husband’s alma mater is Auburn University and since he’s much more of a football fan than I am, we follow Auburn football much more than Georgia Tech.

When my new food blogger friend, Regan, asked me if I would like join a blog hop dedicated to football tailgating food, I said “heck yeah!” Even though my husband will be glued to the TV for 12+ hours every Saturday, at least I will have fun recipes and good food to keep me company.

When I think of Southern food, the first thing that comes to mind: Fried Green Tomatoes.

Although fried green tomatoes are also be found in other parts of the US, the Southern version of the recipe calls for cornmeal to be used.

When thinking of a sauce to compliment the fried green tomatoes, I came across this blog post by Bo’s Bowl that suggested using Guthrie’s Sauce. If you aren’t familiar with the famous Guthrie’s sauce, it is a magnificent blend of mayo, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and lots of black pepper.

Guthrie’s Chicken is popular Southern fast food chain restaurant that specializes in chicken fingers. I was first introduced to this restaurant while tailgating before an Auburn football game. So, what would be more appropriate for this post?

Fried Green Tomatoes with Gutherie’s Sauce

Recipe Type: Appetizer

Author: Melissa Crane

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Salt
2 medium-sized green tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch slices
1/2 cup light buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Vegetable oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
1 clove garlic, diced
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Lots of black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
Sprinkle salt on both sides of the tomato slices and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk and egg, and mix well.
In another medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal pepper, sugar, paprika and cumin and mix well.
Wipe off excess salt from the tomato slices.
Dip each tomato slice, first into the buttermilk mixture and then into the flour mixture.
Arrange the tomato slices on a pre-greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 min, then flip slices over and bake for 5 more minutes.
Optional: For an extra crispy texture on the tomato slices, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat and fry tomato slices about 30 seconds each side.
For the Guthrie’s sauce, mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, garlic, Warcestershire sauce and black pepper together in a small bowl. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving, so that the flavors combine.