Famed Southern pitmasters Ed Mitchell and his son Ryan have penned a wonderful book, “Ed Mitchell’s Barbeque.” If you are a barbecue lover, this is a book for you. You’ll find cultural history woven through the pages along with taste-tempting recipes. Think mac n’ cheese, pineapple upside down cake, fried chicken and, of course, all things barbecue.

The book is broken up into chapters making it easy to find what you want to prepare. As a Californian, I was intrigued with his fried green tomato recipe. This is not on any California menu I know about. I decided to try his version, compliments of his mama. She always served these crisp green tomato gems along with barbecued meats.

This recipe is Seriously Simple. And as Ed would say, “Season your tomatoes, batter them in flour, put them in your oil, and let ’em roll.”

Wherever you live, this season is prime time for green tomatoes. True, I had to order them from my farm stand, so check with your greengrocer to make sure they are available when you want to prepare them.

Ed has a few suggestions for preparing the tomatoes:

You can serve the tomatoes with pimento cheese, a creamy remoulade or even a spicy aioli.

Ed Mitchell’s Fried Green Tomatoes

Serves 4

4 green tomatoes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup all-purpose

All-purpose flour

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Dash of sugar

2 eggs

2 cups breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Vegetable or canola oil, for frying

Pimento cheese and cooked bacon or fried pork belly, for serving

1. Cut each green tomato into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Pat with a paper towel to remove some of the moisture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. In a shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic powder and sugar, plus salt and pepper to taste. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl. In another shallow dish, combine the breadcrumbs, onion powder, and Italian seasoning.

3. Coat each green tomato slice in the flour mixture, then dip it into the egg mixture, and finally dredge it in the bread crumb mixture, making sure that each slice is fully dressed.

4. Fry 3 or 4 slices at a time for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown in a fryer or in a deep pan on low-medium heat. Drain them on paper towels.

5. Top with pimento cheese and cooked bacon or fried pork belly

Photo courtesy “Ed Mitchell’s Barbeque” (Ecco Publishing, June 2023)

(Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks, including “Seriously Simple Parties,” and a James Beard Award-winning radio show host. You can contact her at www.seriouslysimple.com.)

©2023 Diane Rossen Worthington. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.