Savor the flavors of real food.
By Tabitha Alterman
It's time for green tomatoes again — yippee! I've been making all of the following with all the green tomatoes that are coming in from my CSA:
If you've got tips, tricks and recipes for using up all those end-of-season green tomatoes, please post them to the comments section below.
I am originally from "fried green tomato" country!! This is how my mom taught me...
Original recipe:iron skillet3 med green tomatoes (always pick the tomatoes when they are light green)1 cup cornmealsalt & pepper to tasteoil to fry (about 1/4 inch deep in skillet)
slice green tomatoes and soak for 20 minutes in cold water. add salt & pepper to cornmeal. take the tomatoes out of the water one at a time and coat with cornmeal and fry (like you are frying chicken) in hot oil. remove when they are golden brown. place on paper towels, let cool a little, enjoy. save leftover tomatoes and make a sandwich out of them the next day. (my mom wrote this...just like this...on an index card for me 34 years ago!)
If you like your tomatoes spicy...instead of cornmeal mix, use Zatarain's Spicy Chicken Fry to coat. Wow...New Orleans style!!
My favorite is the green tomato relish, we also call it Picalilly......
For the vegetables:5 pounds green tomatoes, cored and ground or finely minced1 pound (2 green and 1 red) bell peppers, ground or finely minced1 pound (about 3 average) onions, ground or finely minced1 or 2 fresh hot peppers, such as jalapeño (optional)1/2 cup pure salt
For the pickling solution:4-1/2 cups white vinegar1-1/2 cups sugar2 tablespoons (1/8 cup) mustard seeds1 tablespoon celery seeds
Grind and mix all the vegetables together and sprinkle with the salt. Allow to sit for 3 or 4 hours, then drain well in a colander, squeezing all the excess moisture out of the mixture.
Simmer the pickling ingredients for 15 minutes, add the vegetable mixture, bring to a boil, and add to sterilized jars. Seal. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
www.whatupduck.com
Uses for green tomatoes? Well, when I have enough of those green treasures (not a hard thing to have here in Southcentral Montana) I make Green Tomato Mincemeat. The recipe is as follows:3 quarts prepared green tomatoes3 quarts prepared apples1 pound seedless raisins2 tablespoons grated orange rind2 tablespoons grated lemon rind5 cups well-packed light brown sugar (or raw)3/4 cup cider vinegar1/2 cup fresh lemon juice1/2 cup water1 tablespoon ground cinnamon1/4 teaspoon ground cloves1/4 teaspoon ground allspice2 teaspoon salt
To prepare tomatoes: put through the food grinder, using coarse blade. Peel and core apples and put through grinder. Combine all ingredients in order in a large kettle, and bring to boiling, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer until dark and thick-about 2 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally. Pour boiling hot into pint jars, allowing 1/2 inch headroom, and process in a Boiling-Water Bath for 25 minutes. Makes 8 pints, enough for 8 nine-inch pies. May also be used in soft cookies.
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