Fried Green Tomato and Pimento Cheese BLTs
Tomatoes thrive in the hot summers of the Gulf Coast, but in the fall, there always seems to be a surplus of hard, unripened green tomatoes that refuse to turn color on the vine. That’s when it’s time to pull out the skillet and make this delicious hybrid of a BLT and grilled cheese. Be sure to use sandwich bread with a firm crust and not a cottony variety—use crusty sourdough, if you wish.
Makes 4 sandwiches
Green Tomatoes
1/2 cup/70 g all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp red pepper sauce, such as Tabasco®
1/2 cup/75 g yellow cornmeal, preferably stone ground
2 large green tomatoes, cut crosswise into 1/4-in./6-mm rounds
1/2 cup/120 ml vegetable oil
Cheese, Bacon, and Sandwich
8 slices firm, white sandwich bread (such as sourdough)
12 Tbsp/180 ml Zesty Pimento Cheese (see below)
8 slices bacon, cooked until crisp (see note) and cut in half crosswise
4 large red-leaf lettuce leaves
Zesty Pimento Cheese
2 cups/225 g shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup/120 ml mayonnaise
1 tsp minced canned chipotle in adobo
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp finely chopped pickled jalapeño slices, plus 1/2 tsp brine
2 Tbsp drained and finely chopped pimiento
1 Tbsp minced sliced green onion, white part only