FRIED GREEN TOMATO SALAD SMOKED TROUT, FAVA BEANS, ROASTED BEETS, SWEET AND SOUR DRESSING

FRIED GREEN TOMATO SALAD SMOKED TROUT, FAVA BEANS, ROASTED BEETS, SWEET AND SOUR DRESSING
This fresh and satisfying salad gets its inspiration from two very different locales: the sweet and sour dressing is indebted to the Pennsylvania Dutch, while the fried green tomatoes
come straight from the South. The brightly hued dressing is just the thing to enhance the interplay of tart green tomatoes; sweet, earthy beets; buttery fava beans; and tangy, creamy goat
cheese. Green tomatoes and fava beans are two crops that I particularly look forward to seeing at the first farmers’ markets of spring, and this salad is a delicious way to celebrate the
best of that season. If you can’t find fava beans, lima beans are a fair substitute.

Serves 4
red beet, trimmed and scrubbed
yellow beet, trimmed and scrubbed
cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ pound shelled fresh or frozen fava beans
(½-inch-thick) slices green tomatoes (about 3 green tomatoes)
cups coarse yellow cornmeal
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¾ pound smoked rainbow trout fillet, cut into 8 pieces
tablespoons trout roe (optional)
½ cup microgreens, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Place each beet in the center of a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap
the beets tightly, place on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven until tender, about 1 hour. Remove the beets from the oven, let cool slightly, and then
remove the skins. Cut each beet into ½-inch dice.
3. Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the fava beans and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain in
a colander, rinse with cold water, and drain again. If using fresh favas, remove their outer layer.
4. Place the sliced tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to remove some of the excess moisture. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Put the cornmeal in a large shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the tomatoes in the cornmeal on both sides and tap off the excess
cornmeal.
5. Heat the 1 cup of oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Four at a time, fry the tomatoes until golden brown on both
sides and just cooked through, about 1½ minutes per side. Transfer with a slotted spatula to the baking sheet lined with fresh paper towels and season
with salt.
6. Drizzle some of the sweet and sour dressing on the bottom of 4 dinner plates. Place 2 fried green tomatoes on each plate. Scatter the beets and fava
beans around the tomatoes and top each tomato with some of the smoked trout. Scoop 1½ teaspoons of the trout roe on top of each portion of fish if
desired. Garnish with the microgreens.