4 large firm underripe tomatoes
1 cup polenta or coarse cornmeal
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
flour for dredging
1 egg, beaten with seasoning
Oil for deep-frying
Cut the tomatoes into thick slices. Mix the polenta or cornmeal with the oregano and garlic powder.
Put the flour, egg and polenta in different bowls. Dip the tomato slices into the flour, then into the egg and finally into the polenta.
Fill a shallow frying pan about one-third full of oil and heat steadily until it is quite hot.
Slip the tomato slices into the oil carefully, a few at a time, and fry on each side until crisp. Remove and drain. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes, reheating the oil in between. Serve with salad.
We thank The Complete Encyclopedia of Vegetables and Vegetarian Cooking by Roz Denny and Christine Ingram for this recipe.