Just in time for tomato season, a scrumptious recipe for fried tomato sandwiches. Two perfectly cooked tomato slices filled with creamy smoked mozzarella cheese and a dollop of homemade pesto sauce. Broiled just a touch to melt the mozzarella cheese, this first course is an Italian plate to write home about.
The recipe for the tomato batter is quite versatile and can be used for frying not only tomatoes (green or red) but also sliced eggplant, squash, fish, chicken—you name it. Simply a mixture of eggs, grated Parmesan cheese, grated pecorino cheese, and chopped basil, seasoned with a touch of salt and pepper. The 3-bowl coating method use to coat your tomatoes is 1) to first dip your tomatoes in a touch of flour, 2) then into the egg mixture, and finally, 3) in some breadcrumbs to create that much anticipated crusty exterior. Fried in sunflower oil preferably, the resulting tomatoes are tender on the inside and coated with a lightly brown crust on the outside.
These delectable Fried Tomato Sandwiches are a warm-weather treat that you could serve as a light lunch alongside a simple salad or as a first course as they do here in Italy.
Tomatoes coated with flour, the egg mixture, and breadcrumbs
Pesto Ingredients
Fried Tomato Sandwiches with Smoked Mozzarella & Pesto
(To view the recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Fried Tomato Sandwiches
Ingredients:
- For the fried tomatoes: Slice some large tomatoes into ¼-inch slices. Dip each slice in a bowl filled with all-purpose flour, then an egg mixture of lightly beaten eggs, salt, pepper, pecorino and parmesan cheeses, and chopped basil, then into a bowl filled with breadcrumbs. Fry tomatoes in a large pot of sunflower oil until browned. Place slices of smoked mozzarella and a spoon of your favorite pesto sauce between 2 of the fried tomatoes. Finally, place the ‘sandwiches’ on a parchment-lined baking sheet and broil until the cheese begins to melt. Serve warm with a sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese. (The fried tomatoes would also be delicious just served with pesto as a dipping sauce!)
- For the pesto: Place 2 bunches of fresh basil, 2 tablespoons pine nuts, 2 tablespoons salted peanuts, 1 garlic clove, peeled, 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil, and a pinch of salt in a food processor or blender. Blend or process until smooth and pureed.
Directions:
Tagged: cheese, culinary school, externship, first course, fried tomatoes, Italy, Mami Camilla, pesto sauce, smoked mozzarella, Sorrento, tomatoes
Yum… Looks fabulous!
Oh, they were! We did a similar dish a couple of weeks ago with fried eggplant which was also very nice. Interestingly enough, they use ripe, red tomatoes for this dish and not the green, firm tomatoes we are used to frying. I think a mixture would make a nice presentation though! :>