Sandi is blogging from the WhistleStop Cafe kitchen. It's all about good home cooking; food, family and fun. Thousands of posts . . .

~In the south and around the world.



Wednesday, September 19, 2007

A Novel Event

My bloggy friend Lisa @ Champaign Taste is co-hosting a Novel Food Event with Briciole. I saw this event and thought... that is right up our alley! The idea is to take a food that has a connection with a novel and then post it. Lisa will do all the work and round them up.

For this first Novel Food Event, I thought I would post a little piece from the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the WhistleStop Cafe. When Fannie Flagg was doing research for the novel, she spent time at the cafe and sitting talking with Mom. Many of the tales used in the novel are loosely based on stories from our cafe in Irondale.

Fannie Flagg's great Aunt was Bess Fortenberry. She is the person Mom & Dad bought the cafe from many years ago. She was quite a character~ much like Iggy in the novel. This story is about the relationships Iggy has, the food they love, and the lives they made. Fannie admits that she is not much of a cook, but her love of food and southern cooking has woven through several of her books. After all in the south life revolves around good food and good friends.

My Quote from the book...
" I may be sitting here at the Rose Terrace Nursing Home, but in My mind I'm over at the WhistleStop Cafe having a plate of fried green tomatoes."
Fried Green Tomatoes- Fannie's recipe

1 egg beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup self rising flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
6-8 green tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
bacon drippings or vegetable oil
Mix egg and buttermilk in a shallow dish. Mix flour, cornmeal, and salt in a shallow dish. Working in batches dip tomato slices into egg mixture. Allow excess to drip back into the dish. Coat each with flour mixture. Fry in hot bacon drippings in a large heavy skillet until browned. Turn once with tongs. Drain in a colander.

Don't be tempted to crowd the frying pan, to many at a time will cool the grease. Hot grease is the secret to crispy green tomatoes.

Of course I need to mention that if you'd like to take the quick and easy route... you can get your fried green tomato batter mix at our little country store A Pinch of Dis~ A Pinch of Dat. (I mention that only because it looks like we may not have won the lottery after all.)

Y'all eat lots!
Sandi

38 comments:

Gigi said...

Sandi, what a great post! I'm definitely interested in this food event. I even have a book in mind. Off to the kitchen I go!

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Hey, Sandi! Thanks for the "Smile" award. I really appreciate it & you are great to give it to me. I will add this award to my blog with pleasure...although I might not pass it on for now, I do appreciate it very much.

Loved Fried Green Tomatoes...see, I had no idea that it originated here in AL. I guess I knew that Fannie wrote the book, but over in GA, the word about the restaurant in the book was that it was in Madison? can't remember..(I think that was it), GA. I never made it down there either, but that's what we all heard. Glad to hear the real truth!

Rhoda

Adriann said...

Sandi, I'm just going to have to make a visit to Irondale and check out the restuarant. I never clicked on the link before. Excuse my ignorance, I didn't know the cafe still existed. How exciting! I can't wait to make a trip and visit.

Tina Leavy said...

oooh honey chile' I have sooo gotta get myself some green 'maters and fry myself up a batch of these.
goodness gracious sakes alive..they look so yummy!

Nunnie's Attic said...

OOOH - I want to play. Keep us posted.

Love,
Julie

Susie Q said...

Wow, now this was an amazing post! And that recipe will be used I promise you!
This game of books and food is wonderful! I so want to see what everyone will do! 2 things I love a lot...eating and reading. : )

Loved reading your post...

Hugs,
Sue

Kari (GrannySkywalker) said...

I luvs me some Fried Green Tomatoes. Oh why oh why, didn't I marry a man who can cook? Yeah. It's a legitimate question! He KNEW when he married ME that I didn't cook. Or did he? I DID tell him that, didn't I? Hmm. Maybe I fotgot that little detail. Serves him right. I thought he was rich and he thought I could cook. I think we've just stayed together out of revenge. lol (Just kidding - I luvs me my Big Daddy even more than I luvs me some Fried Green Tomatoes!)

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

GiGi~ can't wait to see what youv'e got up your sleeve
Rhoda~ The truth is that WE are the cafe Fannie wrote about... and you heard it from the horses mouth.
Adriann~ And we are not that far away girfriend!
Goose~ you are crackin me up!
Julie~ stay tuned
Sue~ I'm excited to see what everyone comes up with
Kari~ Those are 2 things you can always change. I mean the cooking ...not the big daddy!

Simona Carini said...

Dear Sandi, this is such a lovely post and one that is dear to my heart. I watched the movie when I was still living in Italy and loved it. I went to the movie theater with my friend Patrizia and the American guy that at the time I was dating and later on I married. When I moved to the US, Fannie Flagg's book was one of the first novels I bought and read. Thank you.

cherry said...

Thanks so much for coming by and visiting me! I am so glad you did cuz now I have discovered your wonderful blog. I am a Yank but love Fannie Flagg too! Just got done with "Can't wait to get to heaven". I am gonna go peruse some of your guys recipes...will put you on my blog roll for sure. Cherry

Jill said...

What a wonderful novel/food connection. I've never had fried green tomatoes, but I just might be inspired now....

ShabbyInTheCity said...

My mind is made up...I'm buying these books for my mother for Christmas...of course she'll pass them to me when she is finished....

PAT said...

YUMMY! I love those Fried Green Tomatoes...the book and the food!

This sounds like fun. When we get back from our little road trip, I'll check to see what everyone comes up with. If we weren't leaving this afternoon, I would participate!

Pat

Cape Cod Washashore said...

You know I HAD to go out and buy that book once I did my first Whistlestop order! =)

Unknown said...

What a warm and wonderful legacy to be commemorated in Fannies book! Wow! I have Fannie's audio version of "Standing in the Rainbow." I feeling rather inspired to pick up "Green Fried Tomatoes..."

Thanks for the recipe!

KJ

Sandi McBride said...

Just came in from our Thursday night Date...dinner out every Thursday, no matter what...I had much rather have those fried green tomatoes than what I had at the Golden Nugget in Jefferson...altho the bloomin' onion wasn't half bad! Do you need to post a recipe with the book and quote? I need to go reread your post, and get my head out of the batter!

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Simona~ Ciao! I will email you back about the apron!
Cherry~ Even Yankee's like good southern cookin'... just ask Beachy
Jill~ you gotta try them once
Shabby~ I know where you can get one.
Pat~ can't wait to hear about it.
KJ~ I'd love to hear it.
Sandi~ Check out Lisa's for the rules.

Mallow said...

What a great idea for a post - I love it!

Sweet Cottage Dreams said...

What a great story! I love Southern Cooking and grew up on it. My mom is from Missouri...kinda Southern...and she fried everything!! Yum!

I am going to have to read the book now!!!

xo,

Becky

JANET said...

These fried green tomatoes look crispy in the picture. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

Jamie Dawn said...

Oh my, oh my!!!
What a find this blog of your is!
Thanks so much for your visit to my place.

Fried Green Tomatoes are YUMMY to the max!

I love the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, and it is so neat that some of it is based on your cafe.

My dad, son, brother, and I went on a five day driving vacation in early August.
We did the World's Longest Yard Sale which began at its southernmost point in Gadsden, AL, at Noccalula Falls.
How FUN it would have been to visit your cafe if we were in your neck of the woods!!!

Maybe we'll stop in someday for some good comfort food. Who knows??

I also am glad you have an online store. I may do some Christmas shopping there.

Justabeachkat said...

I love the book and I love fried green tomatoes. It makes my mouth water just to think about them! Yum Yum!

Hugs!
Kat

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

Great idea! There are all sorts of tasty food scenes in novels! The fried green tomatoes look scrumptious!

Anonymous said...

Hi Sandi and Bill,
Great movie and recipe! I've loved the film since I won the video in a local newspaper competition and often play it when I'm feeling challenged, i.e when I have difficult descisions to make. This film has it all, love, laughter sadness, devotion, family values and so much more.
Wonderful blog by the way, I shall be visiting often!

Best wishes,
Sandie (Sandie's Patch)

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Mallow~ thanks for stopping in
Becky~ You must get the movie, or read the book!
Janet~ I bet you've fried a green tomato or 2
Jamie Dawn~ We could be your one stop christmas shop Ho-Ho-Ho
Kat~ ((hugs))
TW~ scrumptious!
Sandie~ come back often, we love sandi's of all spellings

Lisa said...

Sandi, I must be losing it. I thought I had already left a comment on your wonderful tomatoes. Thank you so much for taking part in our event. I'm going to use your recipe the next time I make these!

I really must read the book. I adore the movie, of course, but have never actually read the novel.

Dee Light said...

I wondered if their was a relationsheip between your "Whistle Stop Cafe" and the book!!! I loved the movie (never read the book) infact it is one of my all time favorites!!!

And fried green tomatoes are one of my favorite things to eat (fried green tomatos with fried ochra!!! Nothing better!!)

Debra from Bungalow said...

Gosh, I've NEVER had fried green tomatoes.....are they really good?

Love the idea of a novel & a recipe.

Anonymous said...

I feel faint with hunger lust!!! I love Fannie Flagg and freid green tomatoes. Thank you for giving us the inside story, so to speak. Wonderful post!

Anonymous said...

oooo..I knew you were making fried green tomatoes! haha. Great job. They look so yummy. And the movie was just on 2 nights ago :)

Anonymous said...

This is sooo ignorant of me, but I didn't know this was a book. I enjoyed the movie very much and have always wanted to make fried green tomatoes. With your recipe, now I can. Yay! Thanks!

Paz

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Lisa~ thanks for hosting it!
Dee~ We are the cafe Fannie wrote about... kind of.
DebraK~ GOOD!
MaryAnn~ I was flipping through the cannels and saw it too. I wondered if any of you watched it.
Paz~ I have posted another recipe that is a little different... check the side bar.

Anonymous said...

Sandi - what a wonderful post!
I just made fried green tomatoes the other day and I was not happy with them. The recipe said to dip first in flour, then egg, then cornmeal. So, they came out really cornmeally, almost gritty...Now your recipe seems just right, to mix more flour with less corn meal together. Thanks!

sugar said...

Thanks for visiting my blog. My grandmother used to make fried green tomatoes and everyone still talks about how much they miss them since she passed away. The movie was filmed in my hometown, in my friend's parent's home. Isnt' that cool?

Susan @ Blackberry Creek said...

I just love that book, Sandi. I also love fried green tomatoes. Have you had FGTs at Jim 'n' Nicks? They're wonderful.
Actually, I like all of Fanny's books; I've read them all. They're so much fun, and so funny.

Carla said...

Oh yum! I'll be trying this recipe this weekend for sure. Thanks.

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

The book was so good!
Talk about seasonal! I love these on the banner and I love them on my plate. I'll be hoping there are some late tomatoes on my plants when we get back to Dallas in mid October.
Excellent.

Deborah aka Miss Bee said...

My mouth is pure watering for fried green tomatoes now! Beautiful!

Related Posts with Thumbnails