BLFGTs

The title of this post represents neither the new cool Twitter abbreviation nor a shortened expletive. It is an acronym for what I ate for dinner tonight, and also one of the most delicious sandwiches I’ve ever had. (BLFGT = Bacon + Lettuce +Fried Green Tomato)

My friend Paige is from Alabama and she is proud of it. She is a very good cook and will periodically make food that reminds her of home, both to give her Northeastern friends an education in Southern cooking and also to provide herself some of the comfort we all feel when we eat something evocative of home. Paige (a theater major and very talented actress) can also be sneaky, as she was tonight, when she came back to our apartment and casually mentioned that she’d “picked up some green tomatoes” at the supermarket. Who knew she had this juicy mint-green trump card sitting in her back pocket, just waiting to be turned into a delicious sandwich?
Having no idea what was coming I didn’t spend all day thinking about what a great dinner I’d be having, or tailoring my day’s meals to allow an absolute gorging come 7:30. Next time, rest assured, I will.
The BLFGT is very easy to make, as Paige will humbly attest to once you’re biting into it and telling her on how nicely the cornmeal coating on the tomato compliments its firmness and woody taste, or how the lettuce provides just the right amount of watery respite from the salty bacon. The green tomatoes—which are just the unripe brothers of the red ones—are firmer and less juicy than their differently colored kin, and have a very fresh taste almost like you crossed a ripe tomato with a cucumber: the coolness and touch of sourness of the cucumber cuts the sweet tomato, but the general texture is similar. As a whole the sandwich works because of the five distinct textures and flavors that blend so nicely: sourdough bread, savory bacon, soft Bibb lettuce, fresh and woody tomato, and creamy mayonnaise.
The recipe is as follows:
For 4 BLFGTs:
1 large or 2 medium green tomatoes
½ c. corn meal
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
1tsp. chili powder
½ c. milk
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. bacon
1 head Bibb lettuce
1 loaf sourdough bread
Mayonnaise to taste

1) Slice tomatoes into ½ inch slices, and lie flat in a baking dish with short sides
2) Pour milk over tomatoes and let sit for 10 minutes
3) While tomatoes are sitting, cook bacon in a large pan until crispy
4) Mix corn meal, salt, pepper, garlic, and chili onion powders in a pie tin
5) Dip tomatoes into cornmeal mixture, and over medium heat, fry tomatoes for 1-2 minutes per side, or until browned
6) Wash and separate Bibb lettuce into individual pieces
7) Assemble sandwiches using sourdough bread, mayonnaise, tomatoes, bacon, and lettuce

Hopefully the sandwich will catch on and the BLFGT will become the new Twitter abbrev.
So, make BLGFTs, not war.
And now, to bed.