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Health & Fitness

"Cooking With The Kitchen Diva!"

What to do with all those green tomatoes? 7 stellar recipes that will change the way you look at those pesky little tomatoes!

Wow! I can't believe how many people in the last few days have asked me if I could give them some ideas on what to do with their left over green tomatoes! Here is another "little pretty" that is completely under rated. Why do I say under rated? I have heard them called everything from "hard nasty little balls" to "bitter and flavorless' down to "do you know anyone who wants them, I need to get rid of them!" I feel the green tomato is highly misunderstood and there is a logical reason for that ... you don't know how to use them. Listen up! I am happy to  announce that I am a huge fan of fried green tomatoes if they are fried properly and the sauce pairs well with the tomatoes. However, there is a whole world out there for the little green guy, beyond fried green tomatoes! I am going to try to heighten your awareness and maybe give the green tomato it's respectable place in the culinary world as well as your dinner table.

Here is a surprise ... did you know that you can use green tomatoes in salsas? I have used them in burrito sauces in place of tomatillas and did you know that when you dice them and saute' them to soften them up just a little, they are fabulous in fish tacos? I have mixed them with banana peppers, red and orange bell peppers, saute'd them a little and put them on Italian sausage and served that with home fries and it is delicious! I have a recipe for green tomato sweet pickles on my blog today and if you give them a small dice, they work wonders in potato and chicken salad to give it a sweet little crunch. Better yet, I have another recipe on the blog today, the "Green Tomato and Lemon Marmalade". Take out a block of cream cheese and spoon this jelly over the top... serve with your favorite cracker and it is an absolute addiction! The "Green Bean Casserole" on the blog today is quite like the traditional "Green Bean Casserole" we serve on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to use up the green tomatoes! Having said that, simply follow the instructions exactly for the green bean casserole and switch out the green beans for the diced green tomatoes. I find it has a fresher, cleaner taste and don't be afraid to add a little lemon zest to it. I have another recipe on the blog today for "Oven Dried Green Tomatoes". I like to put the dried green tomatoes in flavored olive oil (you can add any spice or herb that you like... don't forget the garlic!) and store them like that. You can use them anywhere you would use the red sun dried tomatoes and it just doesn't get any better than that now does it?

I am so excited to share these recipes with you! They are going to give you a little variety and a new perspective on the green tomato.

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Green Tomato Casserole

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

8 medium green tomatoes, chopped
3 large onions, chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder (more if you wish)
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups sour cream (use lite if you wish)
1/2 cup buttered breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large skillet cook the tomatoes and onions until very soft (if there is a lot of fluid you may want to drain some off before adding the sour cream).

Stir in the curry powder, paprika, salt and pepper.

Let the mixture cool and stir in the sour cream.

Pour into lightly buttered casserole dish.

Sprinkle top with crumbs and parmesan.

Bake in 350F degrees oven until the casserole is bubbly and the topping is well browned (about 30- 45 minutes).

You can prepare ahead and pop it in the oven 45 minutes before dinner.

 

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Green Tomato And Lemon Marmalade

1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded

2 1/4 pounds green tomatoes (about 5 large tomatoes), cored and thinly sliced

3 1/4cups sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Pinch of salt.

1. Bring lemon slices to a boil in a pot of water. Drain.

2. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan along with 1/4 cup water, and bring to a simmer, stirring, to dissolve sugar. Cook at a bare simmer until tomatoes and lemon slices are translucent and syrup thickens, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool completely; store in refrigerator.

Yield: 1 3/4 cups.

 

Green Tomato Sweet Pickle

Sprinkle 7 pounds sliced tomatoes with salt. Let stand for 24 hours and soak for same length of time to get brine out. Drain and allow 4 pounds of sugar, 1 ounce of cinnamon, 1 ounce of cloves and enough water to cover.

Boil this and pour over tomatoes. Let stand for 24 hours and then bring to a boil. Put in a large jar and tie cloth over top. Keep in a cool place away from the light.

 

Fried Green Tomatoes Diva Style!

2 whole green tomatoes, sliced

  • 1 cup Buttermilk
  • ½ cups All-purpose Flour
  • 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed tarragon
  • 5 Tablespoons Shredded Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • ½ teaspoons Ground Pepper

You will also need a large cast iron or other heavy skillet/frying pan and tongs.

Method:

Slice the tomatoes into about 1/2-inch slices. Place in a bowl and cover with buttermilk. Let stand at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Place flour in a shallow container and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Combine panko breadcrumbs, Italian breadcrumbs and shredded parmesan in a shallow container. Combine well and also season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bring about 1 inch of oil up to about 350-375 degrees F.

Dredge the buttermilk-soaked tomato slices through the flour, back into the buttermilk, then coat with the breadcrumb/parmesan mixture. Fry until golden brown, turning once and being careful to not knock off the breading.

Allow to cool slightly and enjoy!

 

Bacon, Lettuce And Fried Green Tomato Sandwich

4 nice round bakery buns

butter for grilling buns

1 cup shredded lettuce

4 slices of fried green tomatoes

8 pieces of apple wood smoked bacon

Sauce:

3/4 cup mayo

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon crushed tarragon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

pinch pepper

To assemble sandwich:

Spread butter on the insides of the buns and grill until golden brown. Next, spread buns with mayo sauce. Place a good amount of shredded lettuce on the bun. Break the bacon strip in half so that each sandwich has 4 pieces. Place bacon on top of lettuce. Next place a fried green tomato on top of the bacon. Add more mayo sauce and put the top bun on... enjoy!

 

Fried Green Tomato Eggs Benedict

4 Grand's buttermilk biscuits cut in half

8 slices of bacon

4 slices of fried green tomatoes

4 poached eggs

2 cups prepared hollandaise sauce (home made or packaged will do)

To assemble the benedict: Take the bottom of the Grand's biscuit and place on plate. Add two pieces of bacon cut in half to make four, on top of the biscuit. Next, place a fried green tomato on top of bacon. Place egg on top of tomato and top with hollandaise... out of this world!

 

Oven Dried Green Tomatoes

Note: Feel free to oven-dry more tomatoes than the recipe calls for, just make sure you have extra pans to spread them out on – the "drying" process works best when each tomato piece has a bit of space around it.

Prep Time: 15 minutesCook Time: 1 hourTotal Time: 1 hour, 15 minutesYield: About 2 cups Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs. tomatoes
  • About 1 Tbsp. olive oil

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 200°F. Rinse tomatoes and dry them thoroughly.
  2. Hull or remove the core of each tomato. Cut small tomatoes into quarters and larger tomatoes into large bite-size pieces. If you want to leave them in larger pieces, prick the skin side a few times with a sharp knife to help them dry out evenly. In any case, remove and discard the seeds and any juice from the tomatoes.
  3. Spread the cut tomatoes on a large baking sheet, drizzle or spray with olive oil. Toss tomato pieces gently to coat them in the oil. Spread the pieces out as much as possible on the baking sheet or, even better, arrange them on a cooling rack set on the baking sheet for quicker and more even drying.
  4. Put the tomatoes in the oven and cook until edges curl up and tomatoes reduce in size by about 1/3, about 2 to 3 hours depending on how juicy the tomatoes were to start with. You can remove them now, in this plump-dry stage, or keep drying until they get much more dried out and leathery for longer storage, up to 8 hours depending on the ambient humidity and the juiciness of the tomatoes.

Dried tomatoes can be stored in the fridge or freezer, or covered with olive oil.

 

I thought I would leave you with a couple of quick tips!

 

***   KITCHEN TIP:   I love to cover the dried tomatoes in olive oil. They will last quite a long time. You can use these tomatoes in just about anything. I have chopped them up and used them in soups, omelets, spaghetti sauce, enchilada sauce and the sky is the limit when it comes to what you can do with these tomatoes! This is how you dry the red tomatoes as well.

 

***   KITCHEN TIP:  When you have lots of herbs left in your herb garden at the end of the season, simply chop them up and fill up the compartments in an ice cube tray. Fill them quite full and add water or olive oil. Make sure the liquid goes all the way down to the bottom of the cube and freeze. The oil will turn white when it freezes ... that is totally alright!

 

Until next time...

"Let's get cookin' in the kitchen!"

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