The Surprised Gourmet

Do you sometimes just need a quick and easy meal? Then why not give the tried and true BLT a try with a little twist for a different taste?

When preparing this dish, I used a loaf of Italian Bread, but you could use French bread just as easy. I didn’t use regular loaf bread as that follows the traditional recipe and we’re looking to give this a few twists.

To begin with, I cut a large semi-ripe tomato into ¼-inch slices. I would have preferred to use a green tomato but didn’t have one handy at the time. I battered the slices in a mixture of corn meal mix, Lawry’s Garlic Salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Then I fried the slices in a skillet using Canola oil. When the slices were golden brown, I placed them on a paper towel to drain.

While the tomato was frying, I fried the bacon in a second skillet until it was crispy. If you prefer your bacon a little more flexible, that works too. Place the bacon on paper towels to drain when it reaches the desired texture you want.

Next using about ¾ of the Italian loaf, I cut the bread in half lengthwise. You can use the entire loaf if you so desire, depending on the amount of sandwich you want to make. I covered each half of the bread generously with mayonnaise. To add even more of a twist you could add mustard or use it instead of the mayo.

I placed a layer of spinach on one half the bread and topped that off with the slices of Kraft Velveeta Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Next I added the bacon and finish the sandwich off with the slices of fried tomato. Add the top half of your sandwich, press down and then cut into desired sections. This sandwich can be a bit messy so be sure to have plenty of napkins handy.

This Fried Tomato BLT can be served alone or with a portion of homemade potato wedges (you can find out how to prepare them here).

When you finish with your frying, don’t throw the oil away. Save your bacon drippings and any oil left from the fried tomato. Put the oils in separate glass containers, cover them, refrigerate and use within a few days. You can filter the oil through a cheese cloth to remove any unwanted sediment.

Have you ever tried a Fried Tomato BLT before? Do you even like Fried Green Tomatoes? Care to share a family favorite sandwich or a quick meal with us?

Thanks for visiting, here’s the recipe.

Cucina felice!