Fried Green Tomatoes and Chiles with Cream, Bacon, and Cilantro
At first glance these eye-catching chile peppers look like red jalapeno. However, they have a different flavor and are less meaty than Jalapeno. Red Fresnos are great roasted and added to salsas. Try grilling them alongside your steaks or in kabobs.
When roasting these they should char, blister, and become soft. Try substituting these in your favorite chile recipes.
Ingredients:
3 slices of bacon
4 medium green (unripe) tomatoes
2 red Fesno chiles, stemmed, seeded and chopped fine
5 oz. chevre cheese
1 cup finely ground corn meal
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chooped fresh cilantro leaves
1 lime, in wedges for a garnish
Instructions:
Fry the bacon slices in a heavy cast-iron skillet until they are golden brown, then transfer them to some absorbant paper towels. Pour off all but about 1/4 cup of the bacon grease and turn the heat down to medium-low. When the bacon is cool enough to handle, crumble it and set aside for later use.
Remove the stems from the green tomatoes and cut them into 1/2″ thick slices. Let the sliced tomatoes sit on some paper towels, then slice the chevre into thin rounds and set the pieces aside.
Mix together the cornmeal, salt and pepper, then dredge each slice of tomato into the mixture. Return the skillet to medium heat and add the green tomato slices. Cook them until the cornmeal browns, about 1-1/2 minutes on each side, then turn them over and cook for another minute. Top each slice of fried tomato with a round of the chevre and a 1/2 tsp. of the chopped chile, then place the skillet in a 300F oven.
Remove the tomatoes from the oven after they have cooked about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a hot serving plate.
Once the fried tomatoes are out of the skillet, pour in the cream and place it over medium heat. Swirl the pan around until the cream starts to thicken, then season the cream sauce to taste with a pinch of salt and pepper. Once the sauce has reached the desired consistency pour it evenly across the platter of fried tomatoes and sprinkle the cilantro and crumbled bacon over the top. With a serving spatula transfer servings to individual serving plates and garnish with fresh lime wedges.
Recipe adapted from Michele Anna Jordans “The Good Cooks Book of Tomatoes.”