So...almost a year since my last post, and what inspires a new post you ask? Why Green Tomatoes again, which I realized is rather funny as my last post was also about Green Tomatoes. I've had two encounters with Green Tomatoes this week. My first was standard Fried Green Tomatoes, which we had for breakfast along with refried beans, scrambled eggs, ranchero sauce and tortillas. I've never done much frying and was pleasantly surprised at how well they turned out. And the cleanup wasn't as bad as I anticipated. My second adventure was a Green Tomato Crisp. Yes, that's right, a tomato dessert. I was inspired by the many Green Tomato Pie recipes I'd seen, but there is no way I have time to make a pie crust with a 2-month old baby, so I transfered the concept to a crisp instead, which was much more forgiving of the several interruptions I had while making it than a pie crust would have been. It was a big hit, very similar in taste and texture to an Apple Crisp. I love apple desserts but apples are only in season for a very short time in the fall in Central Texas, so I'm quite excited about this green tomato discovery as tomatoes we can get locally for a large part of the year.
Green Tomato Crisp
5 cups diced Green Tomatoes (about 4 large)
zest of one Lemon
juice of 1/2 Lemon
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon, divided
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Ginger powder
2 pinches Salt, diveded
1/2 tsp Cornstarch
2/3 cup brown sugar, divided (if you like your desserts really sweet you'll want more)
1/3 cup plus 1 tbs Whole Wheat Flour
1/3 cup Rolled Oats
1/3 cup chopped Pecans
1/3 cup butter, melted
Combine tomatoes, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, one pinch salt, cornstarch, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and 1 tbs flour in a 9x9 baking dish. Combine 1/3 cup flour, rolled oats, pecans, 1 pinch salt, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon in a bowl and mix. Spread over tomato mixture, drizzle with melted butter, and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, until bubbly and browning on top. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 6-8. Vanilla Ice Cream would make a lovely partner if you are so inclined.
