Fried Green Tomatoes with Zesty Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

Tomatoes:

• 3/4 cup self-rising flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3-4 green tomatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
• Vegetable oil or bacon grease for frying

Zesty Dipping Sauce:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• Pinch cayenne, or more to taste

Directions:

Tomatoes:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper and buttermilk. Use a fork to mix the ingredients into a pancake-like batter. Use more buttermilk to thin the batter, if needed.
2. Heat 2 inches of oil in a skillet until hot enough to fry. Dip tomato slices in batter, letting the excess batter drip back into the bowl. Put the dipped slices immediately into the frying pan. The oil should sizzle strongly but not pop when the tomatoes hit the oil - if the oil pops or spatters, it's too hot. Let it cool down a bit before proceeding.
3. Fry the tomato slices in batches of 4 or 5 at a time (don't crowd the pan) for 2-3 minutes per side, turning carefully with tongs when the coating turns golden brown.
4. Transfer to a colander or wire cooling rack to drain. To keep the tomatoes from getting soggy before they're served, Fannie suggests standing them up like wheels in the serving dish instead of stacking them.

Zesty Dipping Sauce:

1. Whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup, and cayenne in a bowl. Taste and season more, if needed. Serve sauce over the fresh fried green tomatoes.