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Green Tomatoes Add Slice Of Tang

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By AMY CULBERTSON McClatchy Newspapers

Published: January 2, 2008

For many of us, cooking with green tomatoes is a real treat, not a chore we undertake because we don't want to waste our garden goodies as first frost draws near.

In fact, some of us seek out those pale-green globes in farmers markets. Occasionally, specialty or gourmet markets will carry them. (Some heirloom tomatoes are green when ripe, so don't confuse these with the unripened ones we're talking about.)

As with ripe tomatoes, you shouldn't refrigerate the green ones. They'll keep at least a week, and sometimes a good deal longer, when stored at temperatures between 50 and 70 degrees. If picked far enough along in their development, they may ripen to a rosy red.

The most famous green-tomato dish is, of course, fried green tomatoes, made famous by Fannie Flagg's book "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe," then a subsequent hit movie of that name. But I love them grilled as a side dish.

Choose really green ones for this; just slice them thickly, anoint them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and set them on the grill (or in a grill pan or under the broiler) along with whatever meat you're cooking. The grilling softens and sweetens them, but they retain their piquant tartness and go beautifully with pork, fowl, game or seafood. They'd even make an interesting change from ripe tomato slices on burgers.

Chopped, green tomatoes give a tart punch to chutneys. Sliced, they add interest to apple pie; in fact, I've eaten green-tomato pies that I preferred to any apple pie I've ever tasted.
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
2 tomatoes

1 egg

1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

1/3 cup olive oil
Salt to taste

Cut tomatoes into 6 1/4 -inch slices.

In a shallow bowl, whisk together egg and water.

In a wide, shallow bowl, mix cornmeal and thyme.

Dip tomato slices in the egg mixture to coat, then dredge the tomatoes in the cornmeal.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and cook the tomatoes, turning once, until brown and crisp, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Salt to taste. Serves 2 to 4.

Source: "Vegetables Every Da,y" by Jack Bishop

(based on 2 servings): 504 calories, 39 grams fat, 33 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams protein, 94 milligrams cholesterol, 40 milligrams sodium, 4 grams dietary fiber, 69 percent of calories from fat

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