Green Tomato Primer

Green Tomato Primer Green tomatoes are usually seen at the beginning and the end of tomato season. Sometimes they get harvested at the beginning when you just can’t wait another minute to have a tomato, and when the weatherman announces the first frost of the year, the rest of the harvest comes inside in a hurry. If it’s been a good year, that leaves you with lots of tart green balls; some may continue to ripen, but they usually don’t have the depth of flavor and sweetness of those that finish on the vine. But it’s a pity to compost all that hard work and potential goodness. So what do you do? This primer will hopefully help you better understand your green harvest and give you some ideas – along with some recipes – to help you use it all up deliciously! Green tomatoes are tart and hard. If you have green cherry tomatoes, you may even find them a little bitter (I think that’s from the greater amount of skin to pulp than you have on a larger tomato.) To mellow the flavor of the tomato, you could cut, dice or slice it (you want to expose the interior), salt it, cover it and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator. The next day (or the day after that) when you go to use it, drain and rinse it, and it will still be tart, but it won’t turn your face inside out. Green tomatoes can be substituted reasonably easily in recipes that call for: tart apple lemon kumquat tamarind fresh cranberries Cherry green tomatoes would work especially well as substitutes for kumquats and cranberries if the shape is important. So if you already have a recipe you enjoy that uses one of these ingredients, go ahead and substitute green tomatoes for it! Below is a list of flavors that would complement green tomatoes, if you enjoy improvising: almonds thyme garlic walnuts rosemary onion hazelnut coriander bitter greens coconut allspice corn coconut cream cardamom butter sesame oil cloves cheese (ricotta, balsamic vinegar cinnamon parmesean, cream) tea nutmeg chicken vanilla mustard turkey rose water caraway duck ginger bay leaf beef sugar (brown, white) chile pepper game (venison) A flavor combination: beef + coconut milk + green tomato Other recipe ideas: cornbread with green tomatoes and jalapenos almond thumbprint cookies with candied green tomatoes (or green tomato jam) coconut pie/tart crust with a green tomato filling green tomato jam and coconut milk in your favorite vanilla ice cream recipe (substitute the coconut milk for some or all of the milk and cream) dehydrate and powder the tomatoes to add to any recipe for a little extra tartness added to soups or stews the classic: fried green tomatoes! The following recipes were designed for a small batch of green cherry tomatoes, where 1 cup weighed approximately 5 ounces. If your tomatoes are full-sized, you may choose to dice or slice them, and in addition, you have the option of peeling the skins to reduce the acidity, and some of the bitterness. Green Tomato Quick Pickle Adapted from "Quick Pickles" by Chris Schlesinger, et. al. Makes 1 ½ cups The name may seem misleading, since the tomatoes need to sit overnight in salt. After that, though, it’s quick! Ingredients: Directions: 1 ½ C. green tomatoes 1- Cut tomatoes in half (or slice or dice if not using cherry tomatoes). 1 Tbsp. coarse salt (sea salt, kosher salt) 2- Combine tomatoes and salt, cover and refrigerate overnight. ¼ C. onion, diced 3- Drain and rinse tomatoes, combine with onion in a glass dish. ½ C. white vinegar 4- Bring vinegar, sugar, and coriander to a boil and dissolve sugar. ½ C. sugar 5- Pour vinegar mixture over tomato mixture, and let cool to room temperature uncovered. 1 tsp. ground coriander 6- Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover and store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Preserved Green Tomatoes Adapted from ‘Quick-Preserved Lemons’ in Vegetarian Times magazine, November 2013 Makes 1 cup Traditional salt preservation takes a few weeks. I didn’t have that kind of time, so I tried this version. It still takes 3 days, but that’s shorter than 3 weeks! It might be fun to try the traditional method as well, when you have the time to wait. Ingredients: Directions: 1 C. green tomatoes 1- Cut tomatoes in half (or dice into ¼ inch pieces if not using cherry tomatoes). 1 Tbsp. coarse salt (sea salt, kosher salt) 2- Combine all ingredients, stir to mix thoroughly. 1 Tbsp. brown sugar 3- Move to clean glass jar, and place plastic wrap directly on surface. ½ inch ginger, minced 4- Let stand at room temperature for three days. ½ dried chile 5- Refrigerate and store in refrigerator up to 3 months. 1 bay leaf Ways to use preserved tomatoes: Chop finely and stir into Greek yogurt for a vegetable dip. Whisk into a salad dressing. Toss with sweet potatoes and carrots before roasting. Add to pureed soups. Top chicken and bake (in parchment). Toss with sautéed bitter greens as a sauce for pasta. Green Tomato Granita Adapted from "Thanksgiving 101" by Rick Rodgers Makes 1 ½ -2 cups This is less a dessert (especially with the rosemary added) and more a palate cleanser between courses. It is possible to do a sweet version – I might try using one of the jam recipes with milk and cream to do an ice cream… Ingredients: Directions: 1 C. green cherry tomatoes 1- Pierce or cut tomatoes. 1 ¾ C. water 2- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat to dissolve the sugar. ½ C. sugar 3- Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. 2 Tbsp. dried rosemary 4- Pour into a wire sieve placed over a heatproof bowl and drain well, pressing gently to extract as much juice as possible without forcing the solids through the sieve. 5- Chill by placing bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice water. 6- Meanwhile, place a small metal pan in freezer to chill. 7- Pour liquid into chilled pan and let freeze until edges are frozen. 8- Using a large metal spoon, mix the frozen edges into the center (leave spoon in pan). 9- Leave in freezer to continue freezing, repeating Step 8 until the mixture has a slushy consistency. (2-3 hours total) 10- Serve immediately in well-chilled glasses. As a palate cleanser, one serving is no more than 1- 2 Tablespoons. Savory Green Tomato-Herb Muffins Adapted from "Light Muffins" by Beatrice Ojakangas Makes 1 dozen muffins Ingredients: Directions: 2 C. all-purpose flour 1- Set oven to 400°F. 1 Tbsp. sugar 2- Sift together flour through salt in large bowl. 3 tsp. baking powder 3- Add pepper and herbs de Blanco. ½ tsp. salt 4- In small bowl, combine green tomato puree through olive oil. ¼ tsp. fresh ground pepper 5- Stir small bowl contents into large bowl and mix just until dry ingredients are wet. 2 Tbsp. herbs de Blanco* 6- Fold in green tomatoes and onion. ½ C. green tomato puree 7- Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups, and sprinkle tops with cheese. ½ C. milk 8- Bake 15-20 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 1 egg 9- Cool in pan 1 minute, then turn out onto cooling rack or serve warm. 3 Tbsp. olive oil 1 C. salted green tomatoes, drained and rinsed** ¼ C. onion, diced 3 Tbsp. fresh grated Parmesan cheese *herbs de Blanco – a basic herb blend similar to herbs de Provence with rosemary, sage, thyme and lavender, but this blend is grown and mixed in Blanco, TX! **salted green tomatoes – from “Quick Pickles” by Chris Schlesinger et. al.: Cut 1 cup green cherry tomatoes in half, mix with 1 Tbsp. coarse salt, cover and refrigerate overnight. Balsamic Green Tomato Chutney Adapted from "Thanksgiving Recipes" by VJJE Publishing Makes 1 cup This is a strong, spicy chutney, best served alongside a full-bodied main, such as buffalo, venison, or a Portobello mushroom. Ingredients: Directions: ¼ C. balsamic vinegar 1- Combine vinegar and sugar in saucepan over high heat to dissolve sugar. ¼ C. sugar 2- Lower heat to medium, and add tomatoes through cumin powder. 1 C. green cherry tomatoes 3- Simmer until tomatoes have burst and a thick syrupy consistency has been reached. ½ tsp. nutmeg 4- Remove from heat and let cool. ½ tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. cayenne pepper ½ tsp. cumin powder Ginger, Lemon and Green Tomato Chutney Adapted from "Thanksgiving 101" by Rick Rodgers Makes 1 cup A savory chutney that would go well with chicken, turkey or sautéed greens such as kale. Ingredients: Directions: ½ lemon 1- Zest lemon and supreme.* 1 C. green cherry tomatoes 2- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce ¾ C. sugar heat and simmer until it has cooked down to a thick, syrupy consistency. 3 Tbsp. crystallized ginger, diced 3- Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until needed. 2 Tbsp. onion, diced 4- Remove cinnamon stick right before serving. 1 garlic clove, minced ¼ tsp. dry mustard ¼ tsp. salt ½ cinnamon stick *supreme – to remove the membrane around the individual sections (and keep the meat!) Candied Green Tomatoes This is less a recipe and more a guideline to sweetening those tart bundles! Feel free to add any flavorings you like. Use them to decorate a cake, or top a salad (just as you might with candied nuts). Ingredients: Directions: 1 C. green cherry tomatoes 1- Pierce or cut tomatoes. If you don’t, the sugar syrup won’t be able to penetrate and sweeten ½ C.

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