Well, summer’s end certainly came in a rush. I’d just written about what a beautiful summery few weeks we’d had, then woke up the next morning to clouds and chilly winds. But, in this part of our world, ’twas ever thus.
Among other things in our garden that will now probably not make it to ripe are a lot of green tomatoes, large and small. I’m not the only one with the problem, however. I’ve had emails, as well as phone calls, from friends and regular readers asking if I’m planning on doing green tomato recipes. The answer is “Yes,” and the time is now, as promised.
Green tomatoes, whether deliberately picked before ripening by choice, or because it’s too cool for them ever to ripen, lend themselves to many cooking methods that won’t work as well for ripe tomatoes, such as frying and grilling. And, their tart flavor makes them a perfect candidate for relishes, chutneys, and perhaps even a surprise or two.
So, without further palaver, here are a few suggestions for utilizing those green globes that are hanging out in the garden hoping for one last chance to show their true color. As you’re plucking them, just keep murmuring “Green is good, green is good.”
RECIPES
The classic use of green tomatoes is, of course, southern fried. I enjoyed the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes” — I love the actual dish even more.
Fried green tomatoes go with many other main dishes, such as chicken, scrambled eggs, lamb kebobs, etc., but also think about giving a twist to a BLT sandwich, made with slices of fried green tomatoes instead of the red ripes, or a fried green tomato and melty mozzarella cheese sandwich on a sourdough roll with a slather of wasabi mayonnaise.
Oh, yum. I have two versions of coating for these fried greens; I’ll give you both.
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
2 lbs. green tomatoes, sliced about ¼-inch thick (you may make them thicker, if preferred, up to about ½-inch)
¾ cup flour (¼ cup for first coating, ½ cup to mix with cornmeal)
½ cup cornmeal (I use polenta because I prefer the texture)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper
1 t. sugar, optional (there are those who say “never” to sugar with green tomatoes, others who say it all has to do with how tart the tomatoes are; do as you please)
Olive oil and butter, for frying (the amount may be just what it takes to turn the tomato slices golden on each side, but if you want them “deep” fried, use more oil)
Sprinkle tomato slices lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. In a shallow bowl, mix together the cornmeal and ½ cup flour (add the sugar if you’re using it). Have the beaten eggs in a second shallow bowl (if you want to thin them a bit, add a teaspoon or two of milk.)
Heat the olive oil with the butter in a skillet over med.-high heat. Dip each tomato slice first in the ¼ cup plain flour, on each side, shaking off excess, then dip in the egg, letting excess drip off, then dip into cornmeal/flour mixture, coating both sides well. If you’re not frying as you dip/coat, put slices on waxed paper until ready to fry. Fry slices, turning carefully when first side is just golden, and fry until both sides are golden/crisp. Place on warm platter and keep in warm oven until all are cooked and ready to serve. Serve with sauce of choice (catsup, mayonnaise, sour cream, marinara) or plain.
Alternative coating: 1 cup buttermilk mixed with 1 t. Tabasco; ¾ cup polenta. Dip slices in buttermilk, letting excess drip off, then dredge in polenta, being sure to coat both sides well. Fry as above.
Green tomatoes make great marmalade, which tastes especially good on a scone or English muffin on a cold winter morning. The amount of sugar may seem excessive, but remember, the tomatoes are very tart, as is the lemon, and 6 lbs. of tomatoes is a large amount to absorb the sugar. This will make a large batch of marmalade, which also gives you some unusual, homemade holiday gifts.
GREEN TOMATO MARMALADE
6 lbs. green tomatoes
Juice and rind (thinly sliced) of two lemons
12 cups sugar
1½ inches of peeled fresh gingerroot
2/3 cup finely sliced candied lemon peel (or a mixture of lemon and orange)
Remove stem, wash and very finely slice the tomatoes. Put into a non-reactive (stainless steel; glass) bowl with the lemon rind and juice. Cover with the sugar; let mixture stand at room temp. for 24 hrs.
Tie the ginger in a cheesecloth bag. Put the tomato/sugar mixture into a kettle with the ginger. Bring to a boil and simmer for about
30 min., until tender and quite thick. Remove the ginger and stir in the candied peel. Bring to a boil; boil rapidly for about 10 min., stirring occasionally until mixture is very thick and appears ready to “set.” Pack into hot, sterilized jars, cover with jar lids and process in a boiling water bath 10-12 min. Remove jars and allow to cool (lids should “ping” or pop as the marmalade cools, indicating they are sealed). Makes about 8 lbs., or 6-8 jars of marmalade.
When the holidays roll around and green tomatoes are a distant memory, how sweet it will be to pull a jar of your homemade green tomato mincemeat from the shelf for a pie, tarts, turkey accompaniment, whatever you can dream up. This is a very old recipe, used by farm wives in the Midwest to utilize their excess green tomatoes. As it turned out, green tomatoes made fine mincemeat.
GREEN TOMATO MINCEMEAT
3 cups finely chopped green tomatoes
2 cups finely chopped crisp, tart apples
1 lb. raisins (dark is preferable, but golden will also work, and if you can get your hands on Red Flame raisins, even better)
1 stick butter, softened
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. each, cloves and allspice
1 t. salt
3 cups sugar
¼ cup vinegar
In a large bowl, combine well all ingredients. Put into a large baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about
2 hrs., or until thick. Put mixture into hot, sterilized jars, cover with metal lids and screw bands and process in water bath 10-12 min. Remove and allow to cool.
How about an easy to make, use with just about anything chutney, made from green tomatoes? This makes only about 2 pints, but is easily doubled if you have many green tomatoes.
GREEN TOMATO CHUTNEY
2 lbs. green tomatoes, stem removed, diced
2 T. minced fresh (peeled) ginger
1 t. mustard seeds
1 t. cumin seeds
1 t. coriander
¾ t. salt
¼ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup (packed) brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
Cayenne, to taste
2 T. minced garlic
Place diced tomatoes in a large saucepan; add remaining ingredients except the garlic. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, simmer uncovered for 45 min., or until everything is well combined and very soft and mixture thickens. Add the garlic during the last 5-10 min. of cooking. Cool mixture, transfer to sterile jars, cover with lids and refrigerate. Keep refrigerated when not being used.
GREEN TOMATO PIE
Pastry for a 2-crust, 9-inch pie (homemade or frozen)
2 lbs. green tomatoes, thinly sliced (you’ll need about 4 cups)
1¼ cup sugar
5 T. flour
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ t. each ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg
¼ t. salt
Divide pastry almost in half; roll out larger half on lightly floured surface to 13-inch circle. Line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry and trim pastry to ½-inch beyond rim of pie plate. (If using purchased frozen crust, follow package directions for two-crust pie.)
Combine tomatoes, sugar, flour, lemon juice, spices and salt in a bowl, mixing well. Put mixture in pastry-lined pie plate and cover with remaining pastry rolled out to an 11-inch circle. Trim edge and fold top crust under lower crust, forming a ridge. Flute the edge. With a small sharp knife, cut 3-4 small slits in the top crust. Bake in a 400-degree oven about 50 min., or until tomatoes are tender. Cool on rack. Serves 6-8.
GREEN TOMATO PICKLES
4 quarts (loosely packed) sliced green tomatoes
1 qt. (loosely packed) sliced onion
1 cup pickling salt, divided (see instructions)
2 lbs. brown sugar
6 cups vinegar (5 percent acidity, white or cider)
2 small red chili peppers
1/4 cup whole mustard seeds
1/4 cup celery seeds
1 t. black peppercorns
1 T. whole allspice
1 T. whole cloves
Put tomatoes and onion in separate bowls; sprinkle 3/4 cup of the salt over the tomatoes and remaining 1/4 cup salt over onion, mixing both well. Cover both and let stand at least 4 hrs.
Put tomatoes in a cheesecloth bag and squeeze gently to remove excess juice. Repeat for onion. Discard the liquids from both.
In a large Dutch oven or stainless steel kettle, combine tomatoes and onion with remaining ingredients except the peppercorns, allspice and cloves; combine well. Tie the peppercorns, allspice and cloves into a separate small cheesecloth bag and add to the mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, for 20 min., or until tomatoes are tender, but don’t turn them to mush. Pack tomato mixture and liquid into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe rims and cover with metal lids and screw on bands. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 min. Makes 2 qts.
