I started growing tomatoes! So far, I’m not even close to harvest but perhaps in a few weeks, I’ll have a small batch of tasty tart tomatoes to salt and snack on. Until then I will stalk my local market for the best kinds of tomatoes. I’m writing this post because this week I got lucky  – I found the most gorgeous batch of green tomatoes. Brilliantly colored, firm and just begging to be bought. I got 2, with the idea that they would be my savory treat for the week.  These green tomatoes were never meant for meal prep, they were meant to transform me back to my childhood when my grandma picked a few green tomatoes early from her garden to fry up on a Saturday night. THIS rare treat was a delicacy within our family generations before the movie made them popular in the 90s.

I’m not keen on FRYING anything, the closest I can live with is a sautee but I thought slicing these gorgeous gords thick and baking them would give me the most satisfying result. Below is the simple way I approached preparation.

What you need

• 2 large firm green tomatoes
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp salt
• fresh red pepper flakes (optional)
• olive oil

What to do

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Wash the tomatoes well
3. Slice the tomatoes into 1/2 inch circles
4. Sprinkle both sides with fresh red pepper flakes
5. beat the eggs and salt together in a medium-sized bowl
6. drop the tomatoes into the egg bath and coat well
7. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on a plate, then dip the egg washed tomatoes into the panko and coat well on each side.
8. Coat a large baking pan with olive oil and lay tomato slices evenly a half inch apart
9. Bake for 15 minutes then flip and bake the other side for 15 more minutes or until golden
10. Remove from oven, sprinkle with a little coarse salt and serve.

try & share #therobertashow