Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches with Bacon and Chutney

One Pan, Two Plates by Carla Snyder; photographs by Jody Horton 

(Chronicle Books, 2013, $24.95)

• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• 1 green tomato, cut into 4 big 1/2-inch-thick slices 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 slices bacon
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil, or as needed (optional)
• 1/3 cup Major Grey’s chutney 
• 4 English muffins, split and toasted
• 1/2 ripe avocado, peeled and thinly sliced 
• 4 or 8 iceberg lettuce leaves

1. Put the panko and flour in two separate shallow bowls. Put the egg in a third shallow bowl and beat until well blended. Sprinkle the tomato slices on both sides with salt and pepper and dredge them in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip the slices in the egg and then dredge them in the panko to coat completely. Set aside on a plate.

2. Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add half the bacon slices. Cook, turning as needed, until crispy, 5-7 minutes total. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Cook the remaining bacon in the same way.

3. There should be lots of bacon fat in the pan for frying the tomatoes, but add the vegetable oil if it ever seems to be too dry. Add the breaded tomato slices to the hot pan and fry until browned on the first side, about 2 minutes. Flip them over carefully with a wide spatula and cook to brown the second side, another 2 minutes or so. Transfer the tomatoes, as they are finished, to the plate with the bacon.

4. Spread some of the chutney on each toasted muffin bottom and top each with a tomato slice, one-fourth of the avocado, 2 slices of bacon, and a lettuce leaf or two. Close up each sandwich with a muffin top. You will have four small sandwiches. (You’ll wish you had a dozen!) Serve immediately. Variation: If you can’t find green tomatoes, make this sandwich with zucchini instead. Just slice a zucchini thinly (about 1/4-inch thick) and fry up 3 slices to pile on each sandwich (or more, depending on the size of your zucchini). You might need more panko for coating and oil for frying.

RUBICON BREWING COMPANY INDIA PALE ALE 

Rubicon Brewing Company (RBC), which is located in Sacramento and owned by Glynn Phillips, has been in operation for over 25 years—brewing their first beer in 1987. Employing the talent of gold medal recipient and veteran brewmaster, Scott Cramlet, their India Pale Ale (IPA)—6.5-percent alcohol-by-volume and a BeerAdvocate score of 83—has won back-to-back gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival and is RBC’s flagship brew.

IPAs were first brewed in England in the late 1700s to send to their troops in India. Rubicon’s variety is a classic American-style, medium-bodied IPA. Using three types of hops, it has a great copper-amber color, with a welcoming bitter flavor and a smooth finish, making it a very dependable IPA that makes for a delightful pairing with this month’s Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches with Bacon and Chutney.

—Richard Righton, Owner, 36 Handles Pub & Eatery