A Green Tomato Year

• In bowl 1, 1 cup of flour mixed with salt and pepper, about ½ teaspoon each. I sometimes add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
• In bowl 2, 1 egg, well blended, and mixed with ½ cup milk. (Southerners would use buttermilk.)
• In bowl 3, your crumb mixture. The classic is ½ cup bread crumbs and ½ cup cornmeal (white cornmeal, if you’re Southern). I made one change: I use panko crumbs only; their extra crispness is just right for this treat. And next time, I think I’ll fold in some grated parmesan too. Yeah I know it isn’t traditional; sue me.

4. If you’ve ever made eggplant parmigiana, or chiles relleno, or pan-fried oysters, you’ll recognize the process. Dredge each tomato slice in the flour (be sure to get both sides) and shake off the excess. Now coat both sides with the egg mixture. Finally, give each slice a good coating of the crumb mixture; you may want to press down lightly with your palm to get a good “sticking.”