Wayy more than just a movie, Green Tomatoes are an End-Of-Summer Bonus!
Autumn is officially here and for me it's hard to ever get truly excited about the harvest season drawing to a close. But green tomatoes offer a savory way to soften the blow.
It's surprising how something as unexpected as unripened green tomatoes can brighten up a dish.
So what exactly are green tomatoes? They’re not just any tomato that’s green in colour. Green tomatoes are late season red tomatoes that haven’t ripened, leaving them green and hard. They have tart, zingy flavor and a robust texture.
Green tomatoes are firm (though they'll soften upon cooking), moist but hardly dripping, and sour to the point of astringency. Sounds gross but it adds so much excitement to your meals!
Their fresh flavour also works well in sauces
There thousands of dishes that use Green Tomatoes and you undoubtedly have a few recipes tucked away in an old family cookbook that Great-Grandsomeone would have made on a yearly.
Here are a couple ideas I want to share with you - REMEMBER - Recipies are guidelines! And Green Tomatoes are the perfect ingredient to experiment with.
This is your chance to Get Creative! Because it will always taste good when you start with Great, Farm-Fresh ingredients.
EASY FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
We would love to see you at the farm! Check our market hours HERE
INGREDIENTS
3 medium, firm green tomatoes
Salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk
1 egg
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Seasoning of your choice (cajun, Mrs Dash or something you made up)
1. Slice and salt green tomatoes: Cut unpeeled tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle slices with salt. Let tomato slices stand for 5 minutes.
2. Place coating ingredients in 3 shallow bowls: While the salted green tomato slices are resting, separate: 1- the flour and Cajun seasoning (if using), 2 - buttermilk and egg, and 3 - breadcrumbs and cornmeal.
3. Dip green tomato slices in flour, egg, then breadcrumbs: Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat. Beat the egg and the buttermilk together. Dip the green tomato slices in the flour-seasoning mix, then the buttermilk-egg mixture, then the cornmeal-breadcrumb mix.
4. Fry the green tomatoes: In the skillet, fry half of the coated tomato slices at a time, for 3-5 minutes on each side or until brown. Drain on paper towel.
These fried green tomatoes are fantastic served with MurrayHill’s Sweet Chili Sauce or Piper’s Pickled Peppers!
Green tomato relish-chutney
INGREDIENTS
3 cups apple cider vinegar
3 cups white sugar
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon celery seed
6 cups seeded and finely chopped green tomatoes
2 cups finely chopped red bell peppers
2 cups finely chopped red onion
2 cups finely chopped Granny Smith apples
Canning jars with lids and rings
Directions
Cut tomatoes, onions. apples and peppers into wedges. In a food processor, cover and process in batches until finely chopped. Stir in salt. Divide mixture between two strainers and place each over a bowl. Let stand 3 hours.
Discard liquid from bowls. Place vegetables in a stockpot; stir in vinegar, sugar, celery seed and mustard seed. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 30-35 minutes or until thickened.
Carefully ladle hot mixture into eight hot pint jars, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot mixture. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight.
Place jars into canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.
Fried Green Tomato Parmesan
Add MurrayHill’s Luscious Ground Beef to make a meal that covers all the bases!
Ingredients
2 large eggs eggs
4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
10 medium Green Tomatoes, sliced 1/2-inch thick
6 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
1 (16 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
½ teaspoon dried basil
DIRECTIONS
Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Step 2 Whisk eggs in a small bowl until smooth. Pour bread crumbs into a shallow dish. Dip each tomato slice in egg and coat with bread crumbs. Arrange on baking sheets in a single layer.
Step 3 Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 5 minutes per side.
Step 4 Pour 3 cups spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with a layer of tomato slices. Layer half of the mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese on top. Repeat layers with remaining spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle basil on top.
Step 5 Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 35 minutes.
So, YES! You can eat Green Tomatoes and accepting them as a distinct (and worthy) ingredient really pays off.
If you have an awesome way to prepare Green Tomatoes, I would LOVE to know! E-mail me to SHARE or if you have any QUESTIONS or maybe I’ll see you at the farm!