Cajun Fried Green Tomatoes

The fine art of frying in the South can be applied to everything from chicken to Snickers bars. “Never too fast, never too slow, and always in cast iron” will accomplish most varieties of frying nirvana.

½ cup bacon grease (vegetable oil will work, without the hint of flavor, though)

4 large green tomatoes, washed and sliced ¼ inch thick (peel left on)

1½ tablespoons Cajun seasoning

2 cups plain yellow cornmeal (white is fine, too, but yellow is prettier)

cup self-rising cornmeal

Heat the bacon grease to medium-high (cornmeal should sizzle and bubble when you drop it in to test before the tomatoes are fried). Lay out the tomato slices on a large pan or wax paper. Evenly sprinkle one side and then the other with the Cajun seasoning. Mix the cornmeals in a flat bowl or baking pan, and carefully dredge each tomato slice. Fry until golden on one side, and then turn to fry golden on the other. This will happen fast, about 1 minute on each side. Color is your only indicator. The crust will fall off easily, so carefully lift the tomato slices with a metal turner, and move to a serving plate lined with a paper towel to soak up any excess grease.

Makes 8 to 10 servings