Great Green Tomato Recipes

Is your tomato patch overly prolific? Or are your tomatoes taking so long to ripen you just can't wait any longer? That's OK, eat them green!  Green tomatoes have long been a staple of the cuisine of the Southern Untied States -- they were even immortalized in Fannie Flagg's humorous book Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe and the movie it inspired. But with a little imagination, green tomatoes can be adapted to all kinds of recipes -- think spicy Indian chutneys or exotic Mexican salsas.

Here are a few favorite Green Tomato recipes to get your imagination running.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Rarely do any of our green tomatoes make it past this recipe, it's a family favorite!  Many cooks will only use flour or cornmeal to coat the tomato slices and others use a batter to coat them, but this is my favorite way to prepare them.  I've often heard you must soak green tomatoes in salt water before frying them, I'm not sure why this is, but I don't do it.  Slice, fry and enjoy!

garden fresh green tomatoes
equal parts flour and corn meal
1 egg for every 2-3 tomatoes
1/4 cup milk or water for each egg
vegetable oil for frying
salt
black pepper

Whisk together egg(s) and milk.  Slick green tomatoes thin and place in egg mixture.  In a large bowl mix together flour and corn meal.  Season with salt and black pepper.  Heat oil in large skillet.  Remove tomato slices a few at a time and dredge in flour mixture.  Place in hot oil and fry until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels and repeat until all slices have been cooked.  You can also substitute zucchini squash for the green tomatoes, this is much easier to get out of season.

Green Tomato Bread

I came across this recipe from a newspaper packed away dishes from my great grandmother's estate.  I'm not sure how old the recipe is (the top half of the page was missing) but I'm sure it must have caught Grandma's eye to be carefully removed and stored with her good china.

2 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups ground green tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 cup oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Beat eggs, sugar, tomatoes, salt, nuts, oil and vanilla in a large bowl.  Sift dry ingredients and add to egg mixture.  Pour into two greased and floured 9x5 loaf pans.  Bake at 350 F for 1 hour or until done through.

Green Tomato Pie

This recipe for Green Tomato Pie was originally found in an old cookbook my grandmother had. I made a few changed along the way and here is the version I now make. It makes a great brunch addition or a light lunch entrée. Some people even like it for dessert.

6 med. green tomatoes (about 1 3/4 lbs.)
1 C sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter

Serves 6-8

Pastry for a 2 crust pie
additional sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Remove from water, core and peel. Cut prepared tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices.  In a large saucepan, combine sliced tomatoes with 1/4 C water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove tomatoes from liquid with a slotted spoon, reserving boiling liquid. Combine flour, 1 C sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and lemon zest. Add flour mixture to liquid. Cook, stirring constantly just until boiling. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted. Gently stir in prepared green tomato slices. Cool slightly 10-15 minutes, and spoon into the unbaked piecrust. Top with top pastry crust, crimp and seal edges. Cut venting slits in tops crust and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake for about 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.



Chilled Curried Green Tomato Soup

Here’s an unusual soup to serve chilled at your next summer picnic. The recipe was given to me by my friend Victoria in Atlanta.

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 minced garlic cloves
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
4 large green tomatoes, peeled and cubed (about 2lbs.)
2 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste

additional fresh mint for garnish

Heat oil over medium-low heat in a large saucepan. Add garlic, onion and curry powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is soft but not browned, about five minutes. Add tomatoes, potato, stock, cilantro, mint, and sugar. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 35 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in a blender or food processor. Return to saucepan and stir in cream. Let cool and season to taste with salt, pepper and additional sugar if desired. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings before serving. Garnish with mint and/or cilantro leaves if desired. Serve cold.



Green Tomatoes with Goat Cheese

Here’s an elegant side dish that puts all those extra green tomatoes you have to use. Greek style feta or French style chevres (both goat cheeses) work equally well here.

4 medium green tomatoes
a tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano leaves
1 cup crumbled goat cheese (feta or chevre)
4 teaspoons olive oil
salt and coarsely ground fresh ground black pepper

Serves 4

Cut tomatoes into 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat a shallow baking dish with oil. Place tomato slices, in a single, overlapping layer, in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle tomatoes with vinegar and scatter minced oregano over tomatoes. Top with crumbled goat cheese and drizzle with olive oil. Broil 5-8 inches below a preheated broiler and broil until tomatoes are hot and cheese is just starting to brown, about 7-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.