What does a tomato hornworm taste like? Well, what would you
taste like if you'd been stuffing yourself solely with tomato leaves for the
better part of a month? Hornworms are ridiculously chlorophyll-rich. They taste
great with just about any summer vegetable, but my favorite recipe draws
inspiration from the cuisine of the Whistle Stop Cafe, that fictitious Alabama
diner made famous by novelist Fanny Flagg.
"You'll think you died and gone to heaven," boasts Flagg of her
recipe. To which I add, "If you do go to heaven, ask the Powers That Be to
keep the tomato hornworms out of my vegetable patch."
3 tablespoons olive oil
16 tomato hornworms
4 medium green tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
Salt and pepper to taste
White cornmeal
In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil. Then lightly fry the hornworms, about
4 minutes, taking care not to rupture the cuticles of each insect under high
heat. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Season tomato rounds with salt and pepper, then coat with cornmeal on both
sides.
In a large skillet, fry tomatoes until lightly browned on both sides
Top each round with 2 fried tomato hornworms.
Garnish the paired hornworms with a single basil leaf.
Yield: 4 servings
Collected by Bert Christensen.
Toronto, Ontario
(home of some very weird recipes)
web site: http://bertc.com
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