For all of you gardeners back home in NY, my condolences. Your tomatoes' lives have been cut short. Late Blight, a highly contagious fungus, has become widespread in the Northeast.If you have an abundance of green tomatoes, there are several yummy ways you can cook them. Fried Green Tomatoes is a popular side dish.
The NY Times has a decent recipe, and one of my favorite cooking blogs has one as well. However, I like my breading on the green tomatoes more crispy and similar to tempura. This can be achieved with a few simply ingredients.
Fried Green Tomatoes
(as Tempura)
Slice the green tomatoes very thin (1/4" or less). Cut up any other ingredients you desire as well. You could use zucchini, yellow squash, green peppers, sweet potatoes, broccoli, shrimp, chicken, etc. Remember, whatever pieces of food you use, the oil level in the pan needs to be high enough to cover at least 3/4 of the piece so when you flip it, it cooks on all sides. Also, the pieces are only cooking for about 3-5 minutes. Slice them thin enough so they won't be soggy and uncooked inside the crisp layer.
Tempura Batter
1 egg beaten
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup cold water (40°F)
2 Tbsp dry white wine (optional)
1 cup flour, sifted
Mix flour and baking powder together in a small bowl. Mix the egg, water, and wine together in a large bowl. Make sure to use ice cold water to prevent sticky batter. Sticky batter makes the food oily. Dump flour and baking powder into a sifter. Whisk quickly the sifted flour/baking powder into the liquid. Do not over mix the batter. The batter should be on the thicker side; when you take a spoonful and hold it up high, it should drip thickly down into bowl. You can add spices here if you'd like (pepper, salt, garlic salt or garlic powder, lemon pepper, etc). Chill this batter for 15-20 minutes.
Canola oil works best when frying food. It has a neutral flavor. Using cast irons pans or woks work well for this. Make a layer of oil in pan at least 3/4 the height of your food you wish to fry. Heat to 375°F or put the end of a wooden spoon in the oil and if the oil bubbles up around it, the oil is ready. Fry 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove with tongs. Drain on paper towels or paper bags. I keep the oven on 220°F or so with a cookie sheet. After I cook a batch, I put them on paper towels for a bit and then transfer to the oven to stay warm until served. Do not cover to keep warm or the condensation will make them soggy.
Traditional salsa verde calls for tomatillos, which can be hard to find unless you have a good farmer's market nearby. You can substitute tomatillos with green tomatoes and lemon juice.
Salsa Verde
3 medium green tomatoes, diced
1/2 of a lemon, squeezed
2 jalapeno peppers
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 of a lime (juice and zest)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
Place everything in a food processor and blend. Taste, add more lemon or lime juice if necessary.
Another simple way to use green tomatoes is for pasta sauce. Marlena De Blasi mentions in her book that crushed green tomatoes over pici is most delicious. Pici, thick hand-rolled ropes of pasta, is great when made at home, but any pasta can be used with this sauce. This sauce can be served Cold or Warm.
Cold Version
Crush the raw green tomatoes in a bowl with a potato masher or other kitchen tool. Add minced garlic, olive oil, and fresh basil. Serve over room temperature pasta.
Warm Version
Cut the green tomatoes into quarters. In a medium sauce pan, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil on medium. Add the green tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Crush tomatoes in pan with a potato masher or other kitchen tool. Add more olive oil, minced garlic, and fresh basil. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve over warm pasta.
Here is another great recipe using green tomatoes and zucchini. It calls for breadcrumbs and I found that the homemade bread crumbs taste the best. Here is a quick way to make homemade bread crumbs.
Homemade Breadcrumbs
Take any 4 slices of bread that you'd like (stale bread works best, but not necessary). Tear into quarters and put into a food processor (do this in phases if food processor is small). Pulse for 15 intervals until the bread has an even, course mixture.
This Greek side dish has a hint of a lemon that will be great to soak up with a crusty bread. It would be a great side for a chicken dish, kibbe, or burgers.
Green Tomatoes & Zucchini
(Serves 4-5)
olive oil
1 medium red onion, halved & sliced into 1/4"
1/2 tsp salt, sea salt is best if you have it
1/2 tsp pepper, freshly ground is best
1 tsp sugar
4 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp oregano, fresh & chopped is best
1 tsp lemon juice
3 medium green tomatoes, cored and cut crosswise into 1/4" slices
3-4 medium zucchini, cut diagonally into 1/4" slices
1 cup feta cheese, however much you desire
2 cups bread crumbs, homemade is best
Pine nuts (optional)
Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray the sides and bottom of a 1 1/2-quart gratin pan or an 8-by-10-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium skillet, over medium-high heat, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the onion, salt and sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions soften, about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn the heat to medium-low, continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until they turn golden brown and caramelize, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Add 3 teaspoons minced garlic to the onions and cook for about 1 minute, watch closely to not burn the garlic. Add the white wine. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of oregano, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. Add the sliced tomatoes, zucchini and salt and black pepper and toss to coat.
In the gratin or baking dish, arrange the first row of zucchini, by standing them up and then tipping them at a 45-degree angle against the side of the pan, slightly overlapping the edges. Next, arrange a single layer of tomatoes next to the zucchini in a shingle pattern. Repeat, alternating rows of vegetables until all are used. Then evenly distribute the onion mixture over the vegetables. Bake until tender about 40 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, if you like pine nuts, you can toast them in a skillet and add them after the tomatoes have been cooking for 20 minutes. There has been some suggestion as to the quality of the pine nuts that should be used.
Remove the gratin from the oven. Raise the oven temperature to 450°F. Evenly sprinkle the feta cheese over the gratin. Mix the bread crumbs with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and spread in an even layer over the top. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the top with 1 tablespoon chopped oregano. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.
