Country Ham and Fried Green Tomatoes with Cream
This St. Mary’s County breakfast features some of the best eating country life has to offer. After cooking the ham and tomatoes, don’t clean out the skillet before making the gravy: The cooking residue gives the gravy lots of flavor. I always serve this combo with eggs any-which-way and a batch of hot biscuits.
Serves4
Cooking Methodpan-frying, sauteeing
CostInexpensive
Total Timeunder 30 minutes
Make Ahead RecipeYes
Kid FriendlyYes
One Pot MealYes
OccasionFamily Get-together
Recipe Coursemain course
Five Ingredients or LessYes
Mealbreakfast, brunch
Taste and Texturemeaty, salty, savory, smoky
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 tablespoons (½ to ¾ stick) butter or oil, for frying
- 4 slices of country ham, about ½ inch thick
- 2 to 3 green tomatoes, cored, sliced 1½ inch thick, and soaked in milk
- All-purpose flour seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of sugar
- Reserved cooking fat
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
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Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy skillet and sauté the ham slices about 3 minutes on each side. Remove the ham to a heated platter and keep warm.
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Drain the tomatoes and dust them with the seasoned flour. Add more butter to the pan if necessary and fry the tomatoes 3 minutes on each side or until tender, sprinkling each side with a little sugar. Remove and drain on paper towels, then arrange on the platter with the ham.
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While the tomatoes are cooking, make the gravy: Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the cooking fat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk. Stir constantly until thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
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Pour the gravy over the ham and tomatoes and serve immediately.
1998 John Shields
