Rania's Recipes: Fried Green Tomatoes With Bacon Jam

Rania Harris stopped by PTL to make another delicious recipe!

Fried Green Tomatoes with Bacon Jam and Pimento Cheese

Fried Green Tomatoes

• 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
• ½ cup grated Parmesan
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 cups flour
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• ¼ cup peanut oil
• 6 thick slices green tomatoes
• Bacon Jam (see recipe below)
• Pimento Cheese (see recipe below
• Arugula for garnish

Directions

Preparing the tomatoes, combine the Panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan in a shallow bowl. Pour the buttermilk into another shallow bowl. Season the flour lightly with salt and pepper, place in a 3rd shallow bowl. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is warmed, pour in the oil and get it to bubbling hot. Dredge the tomato slices in the flour, buttermilk, then the breadcrumb mixture. Place into pan, not crowding tomatoes and brown 2 minutes on first side. Flip and repeat on second side. Drain on paper towels and season with salt and pepper lightly if desired.

To assemble and serve:

Place 3 fried green tomatoes on a rectangular dish
Top each tomato with a generous amount of the onion jam
Place a generous dollop of the pimento cheese on each tomato and garnish with arugula

Serve immediately

Serves: 2 as an appetizer

Sweet Bacon Jam

• 2 pounds bacon – cut into 1-inch pieces
• ½ cup bacon drippings
• 2 large sweet onions – cut into very thin slivers
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup garlic – minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup bourbon
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee
• ½ cup sherry vinegar
• ½ cup pure maple syrup
• ¾ cup ketchup

Directions:

Cook and stir bacon in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until bacon starts to brown, about 10 minutes; drain grease, retaining 1/4 of the drippings. Stir onions into bacon and drippings; cook and stir until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in brown sugar; cook until onions are sticky and browned, about 5 more minutes. Mix in garlic, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook and stir until garlic is soft, about 5 minutes.

Mix in bourbon whiskey, coffee, sherry vinegar, and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook until the bacon jam is thickened but not completely dry, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, about 35 minutes. Mix in ketchup and cook for approximately another 15 minutes or until it reaches a jam like consistency.

Remove from heat, let the bacon jam cool, and pulse in a food processor to a slightly chunky, spreadable consistency. Bacon jam will store in the refrigerator, covered, up to 2 weeks.

You will have lots of left over bacon jam to use on biscuits ~ crackers ~ scrambled eggs ~ thick cut crusty bread – yum!

Pimento Cheese

• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 8 tablespoons cream cheese
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh onion
• 1 jalapeno – seeded and minced
• 1 - 4 ounce jar pimento – drained and diced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Place the Cheddar cheese, cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, minced jalapeno, and pimento into the large bowl of a mixer. Beat at medium speed, with paddle, until thoroughly combined. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.