Fried Green Tomatoes
I’d always promised myself that, should ever I start a “dinner and a movie” blog, Fried Green Tomatoes would be the first post. That clearly didn’t happen, and for a variety of reasons, but I think the biggest one is that I love this movie too much. I could NOT get the menu to be perfect enough. And I still haven’t. But I will say (one year after the launch of Two Crumbs Up), my recipe for fried green tomatoes is pretty close.
Everything about this early 90’s movie, adapted from Fannie Flagg’s best selling novel, still resonates. The comedic moments and the sob-inducing ones, the soundtrack, the social commentary, and good GOLLY the stellar performances. Viewers meet our first protagonist, dowdy Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates), as she munches pathetically on a candy bar, having unknowingly lost herself and her husband (both literally and figuratively) on the way to visit his aunt in a nursing home. When they finally arrive at their destination, Evelyn encounters another elderly woman who will have an indelible impact on her life. Mrs. Ninny Threadgoode (played by Jessica Tandy) is chalk full of history and a talent for storytelling, and over the next year shares with Evelyn tall tales about her sister-in-law, Idgie Threadgoode (Mary Stuart Masterson) and Ruth Jamison (Mary Louise Parker), who lived one hell of a Depression-era life together in the little town of Whistle Stop, Alabama.
This is a film that begins and ends with memories– from the opening shots of that bastard Frank Bennett’s truck and a phantom train that gave to and took much from the Threadgoode household, all the way through to Evelyn’s discovery of a jar of honey on a grave. And underneath those memories are so many important takeaways. Fried Green Tomatoes dealt heavily with issues of racial inequality and persecution in the first part of the century, as did the book on which the film is based. It also offers up a not-so-subtle critique of the way we neglect the elderly population of this country, who have so many incredible stories to tell. But for me the message that always lingers longest is that of female empowerment and friendship. Evelyn Couch, once a person too afraid to look at her own vagina, is able to find herself through the stories of women who were ALWAYS there for one another, through hell or high water– Idgie, Ruth, Ninny, Sipsey (Cicely Tyson), and Momma Threadgoode (Lois Smith). These women knew what it was to live through hard and cruel times, and they managed it by relying on each other’s courage, kindness, and good humor. And while some might criticize the film for only lightly hinting at the romantic relationship between Idgie and Ruth (the book was much bolder), I think the movie still captures novelist Fannie Flagg’s original thesis: that the secret to life is friends. Best friends.
I’M CRYING JUST TYPING ABOUT IT. But also because I’m lucky enough to have women like that in my own life, not to mention the type of mother who claps gleefully while watching Evelyn Couch ram her car six times into another in a justified fury. After all, she’s older and she has more insurance.
On to the food, a quintessential part of the Fried Green Tomatoes narrative! Food is what brings the characters in the film together, whether during prep, eating, or while waxing nostalgic about family favorite recipes. There’s the title dish (ironically not even a traditional southern recipe until Fannie Flagg made it so, but never you mind), barbecue, bacon, coffee, fried chicken, biscuits, oysters, cornbread, candy bars, low cholesterol sushi– honestly so much to choose from. But I had to narrow it down to the below (for now). I’d like to think it’s the kind of meal that Idgie, Ruth, Evelyn, Ninny and Sipsey would enjoy together over at the Whistle Stop Cafe, spinning yarns and listening to the trains go by. <happy tears>
THE MOVIE
THE MENU
A smash cocktail that commemorates the following: refreshing bbq beverages, prohibition era booze (not to mention the memory of poor Smoky Lonesome), and last but not least, the moment Idgie smashes a handful of blackberries in Ruth's face. It's a drink that'll definitely get you and your friends drunk and may or may not have you begging the local sheriff, "arrest us!" In a cocktail shaker, combine booze, sugar, lemon and blackberries. Feel free to engage in a little preliminary berry smashing with your hands-- and if you have a friend's face handy, it might be a great help in the smashing process (see below for demonstration). Once muddled, add ice to the shaker and shake until chilled. Strain into a mason jar filled with ice (some blackberry beads will come through, that's ok!) and garnish with a fresh sprig of mint. And here it is, THE recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes. A perfect culinary metaphor for one of the film's central themes: that with a little love, determination, and originality even the most unwanted of outsider foods (hard as a rock and not even a vegetable!) can become something singularly delicious. I did refer specifically to Fannie Flagg's cookbook (#2 recipe), but I also tweaked it ever so slightly. Because it's me. Start by prepping your tomatoes-- slice each into 1/3 inch rounds. You want them thick enough not to maintain a bit of bite and NOT cave in on themselves after a minute or two at room temperature. Place tomato slices on paper towels and sprinkle with a bit of salt-- this will both season the tomatoes AND cause some excess moisture to bleed out. After about 10 mins, pat dry. In the meantime!: set up your breading station next to cookie sheet fitted with a rack. Mix flour, cornmeal, 1 tsp salt, garlic powder, and pepper on a plate. Then, mix egg, buttermilk, 1/2 tsp salt, and hot sauce in a small bowl. Dunk your tomato slices first in your liquid, then dredge thickly with breading-- feel free to press a bit to create as thick a layer of carbs as possible. Place breaded tomatoes on the rack and allow to rest while you preheat your fry sitch. Add a 1/4 inch worth's of oil to a cast iron skillet and heat on high until the oil pops when you add a drop of water. Fry your tomatoes in batches of 3 to 4 at a time-- a little less than a minute per side-- until you get a real good scald on them and they turn a lovely golden brown. Wait a bit between batches to allow the oil to come back up to temperature. Place fried tomatoes back on the rack, and if need be, place in a 300 degree preheated oven to keep warm (but not for more than 5-10 minutes or they'll turn to mush). 'Course, mine never make it to the oven because I've eaten them all immediately... Note #1: You don't really need a sauce for these, but if you really wanted one, try a nice ranch or (better yet) the green goddess from the crudite recipe in this post. Note #2: if you can't find green tomatoes, try subbing out tomatillos and half and half instead of buttermilk. I've done it-- it's good. Sadly I don't own a smoker or a grill, and so inevitably this won't be quite as good as a Big George hog boil. But for now, just think of it as some of the best damn oven roasted barbecue in the state of California. And I specified pork for a reason folks. If you haven't watched the movie, you'll find out why... "secret's in the sauce". Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. If your rack ‘o’ ribs requires removal of the membrane (which is usually the case), carefully start at one end and pull away until it comes off in one strip. Brush the ribs with oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. If you have it, you can also rub a few drops of liquid smoke into the meat—it’s a great cheat if you don’t have a grill or smoker. Wrap your ribs with aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Roast nice and slow for a total of about 3-3.5 hours. You’ll want to brush the ribs with sauce a couple of times in the last hour. Speaking of, now it’s time to make the BBQ sauce! This recipe is another riff on a Fannie Flagg recipe—I tend to like a little kick, so I’ve added a few spices. In a saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except the ketchup. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Take off the heat, remove the lemon wedge, and whisk in the ketchup. If need be, you can add more spices to taste. After the ribs have roasted about 2 hours, gently unwrap them and brush both sides with sauce. Rewrap the ribs and return to the oven to continue roasting for 30 minutes, after which you’ll brush the ribs once more. At a little over 3 hrs of baking time, check to see if the ribs are tender by inserting a fork into the middle rib and twisting slightly. The meat should pull away from the bone relatively easily. Set your oven to a low broil and, leaving the ribs unwrapped and meat side up, let the skin crisp a bit for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the broiler and let sit, lightly wrapped to keep warm, for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Ribs can be served room temperature, with reserved sauce on the side. True southern-style cornbread is NOT sweet-- but that's why a big ole dollop of Bee Charmer honey butter works so well. And, if you have leftover bread, feel free to crumble it into a cup of buttermilk and eat it with a spoon. It's a thing. Preheat to 450 degrees. Mix the first five dry ingredients in one bowl, and the egg and buttermilk in another. Heat the bacon grease in two 6.5 inch cast iron skillets, 1 tbsp per skillet. Mix dry and wet ingredients together and whisk until smooth. Pour cornbread batter equally into each pre-heated skillet: ...and immediately put into oven—bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown on top and the bread passes the toothpick test (ie, stick a toothpick in the center and no raw bread gunk remains attached when you pull it out). While cornbread is baking, whip softened butter and honey with a fork until light and fluffy and fully combined. Serve alongside hot cornbread. If using 9 inch cast iron skillet, double the recipe and add another 5 minutes to the baking time. I know Ninny doesn't really go in for none of that "raw stuff"-- but with the fried things, and the butter, and the pork, I really did need something nutritious and crunchy. And I think Evelyn in her Towanda state would agree, especially since I paired all this healthy with a creamy (and appropriatetly, a little spicy) green goddess dip. PS if you need, feel free to crumble in some hormones and stress tablets number 4 for good measure. Can't hurt. Combine the first eight ingrendients in a blender and puree until smooth. Add several dashes of hot sauce for some extra HEAT and a smidge of salt to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve with all your fave crudite veggies. If you need to, you can always make ahead-- just wrap very tightly in all the cellophane. I was named after both of my grandmothers-- amazing women each. My mother's mother Ruth was an incredible baker, and I can't imagine a movie better suited for this, one of her more famous recipes (at least among my family). Though TECHNICALLY Grandma Ruth's was a Milky Way Cake, I couldn't resist using my own favorite Baby Ruth candy bars. The name alone... Note: If you can't eat it all, don't worry, the cake freezes exceptionally well. But for those of you who doubt your ability to finish off several squares in one go, I encourage you to repeat after Ruth: Don't you ever say never to me. Who knew you could use candy bars in a cake base? That's right, my gramma did. Melt your candy bars and 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over medium low heat, stirring constantly. In the meantime, combine 1 cup sugar and shortening and beat until creamy. Add eggs, and continue beating until light and fluffy. Combine flour and salt in one bowl, and buttermilk and baking soda in another. Add dry ingredients to creamed mix alternately with wet ingredients. Beat well after each addition. Stir in vanilla and candy bar mix until fully incorporated. Pour better into a greased and floured 9x9 square cake pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until done (toothpick test!). While your cake is baking, move on to your chocolate marshmallow frosting. Melt remaining butter, sugar, evaporated milk, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a soft boil. Add chocolate and marshmallow cream and stir until fully incorporated. Yum. yum. yum yum yum you guys. And I don't even like sweets. Cool your frosting until thickened, and pour over your cake-- it will spread like ganache. Top with roasted peanuts and refrigerate for an hour before cutting into squares. Did I tell you my Grandma Ruth was a baking badass? My god.
Blackberry Moonshine Smash
Ingredients
Instructions
Fried Green Tomatoes
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Instructions
Notes
BBQ (PORK) Ribs
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Instructions
Southern Cornbread & Bee Charmer Butter
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Notes
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Crudite for Towanda
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Grandma Ruth's Candy Bar Cake
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Epilogue
As mentioned, I did adapt some of the recipes and techniques from the back pages of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe as well as Fannie Flagg’s later Cookbook. But I also read through a fair amount of other cookbooks for inspiration and tips on technique: specifically several in this list posted by Smitten Kitchen, which celebrates African American cooking in the South and beyond. Jubilee and Taste of Country Cooking are two particular favorites of mine– I highly recommend.
Now get cookin! And always remember, TOWANDA.
For more menus, check out my movie directory here!