What Would You Do With 8 Unripe Local Tomatoes?
For some ungodly reason, they pick 'em well before they're ripe around here and don't even do us the favor of gassing them so they at least appear ripe. [What a disservice to the local growers.] Stored for a week in a cardboard box they're now red. Thick skin, pithy, flavorless. Other than sacrifice them to the fruit flies, what would you do with them?
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
22 Comments:
I'd be sorely tempted to throw them at the seller. :^)
bubbamom at 12:40PM on 09/19/08
make a soup or a sauce with them at least they'll add some color..
Markbb at 12:42PM on 09/19/08
Aw what a shame. Seems hopeless to me if they're flavourless.
hungrychristel at 12:58PM on 09/19/08
I'd make Bittman's tomato jam....it's a great recipe, and the extra spices will help flavor up the tomatoes.....I added chopped onion to mine, it turned out to be a spicier version of chili sauce.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/dining/201mrex.html?scp=1&sq=tomato%20jam&st=cse
mepolo at 1:12PM on 09/19/08
Fry em up! Fried green tomatoes are the best. Slice them, dip them in beaten egg and coat with cracker crumbs or cornmeal or breadcrumbs, your choice (I like cracker crumbs but I think that's just because that's what I grew up with), Then fry them in a little hot oil until golden brown. They're tangy and delicious.=)
carolrsf at 1:25PM on 09/19/08
You could make tomato sauce and add tomato paste and/or sundried tomatoes to amp up the tomato flavor.
It's always a quandary when you bite into disappointing produce. I usually throw it out. Life is too short to waste meals on tasteless tomatoes, avocados, peaches, or plums that are soft but you accidentaly cut just before they are ripe, or watery and tasteless fruit.
HeartofGlass at 1:39PM on 09/19/08
Mepolo beat me to it. Tomato jam or "marmalade" was going to be my suggestion. Just peel and seed, toss into a skillet after sweating some finely minced onion and garlic, add sugar, some crushed red pepper flakes or ground cayenne pepper, a splash of wine, cook until reduced by half or more. It's great as a condiment for fried calamari or crabcakes, on sandwiches, with any strong flavored cheeses.
wookie at 2:28PM on 09/19/08
I can't bear to throw away produce, even when it's lackluster. I turn less-than great fruit into baked desserts, vegetables into casseroles, etc.
You might want to quarter those tomatoes and slow-roast them with sea salt and herbs. It brings out the rich sweetness and acidity that even the palest tomatoes have hidden under their skins.
butterface at 2:51PM on 09/19/08
Why don't you roast them? Cut them in halves or quarters, depending on the size, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and bake them off at 350 for about 45 minutes. Whatever sugars are in the tomatoes will caramelize, and it helps to fake some flavor out of unripe veggies.
Roasted tomatoes are great in soups and sauces!
nosillak at 3:05PM on 09/19/08
slice them like you would to put them on a burger. put them on a cookie sheet, add some basil, salt, pepper and olive oil and bake them for about 20 minutes or until they are a little crisp (not burnt) on the bottom at 350 temp. they are the best and they will be tasty. You can have them on a piece of toast or just eat them by themselves. They are good!!!
sira73 at 3:09PM on 09/19/08
I do pickled green tomatoes but they are not officially "canned."
First day, slice toms and layer in a plastic container with a generous sprinkling of salt between each layer. Put the container in the fridge.
Next day, pour out the water produced by the toms and cover with white vinegar. Return the container to the fridge.
Next day, Pour out the vinegar and layer the toms in jars with chopped garlic, dry herbs (basil and oregano), cracked peppercorns and olive oil. Add hot peppers if you wish.
Top off each jar with olive oil. (I don't use extra virgin - just regular olive oil.) Keep them in the fridge. If the oil congeals just leave the jar on the counter until the oil is liquid again.
These are great in salads and they are killer on sandwiches.
There are concerns about raw garlic and botulism but I think there's enough vinegar in the tomatoes to ward off any nasties - and they are kept in the fridge.
chiff0nade at 6:18PM on 09/19/08
My first thought was fried tomatoes. Love them!
izatryt at 7:00PM on 09/19/08
I'm with the slow-roasters here; it does wonders for lame tomatoes.
renzata at 7:10PM on 09/19/08
These are great suggestions, thanks! I love roasted tomato soup, but have always used roma tomatoes. These look like standard issue supermarket tomatoes, round, pretty, but it's unreal how little flavor they have (so sad, if they'd just let them ripen on the vine). Sounds like the only solution is to concentrate the flavor through roasting / reduction? (Frying them green won't work as they arrived in my house with a bit of red, and I let them "ripen" over the past week.)
OliverRanch at 8:10PM on 09/19/08
Try this. Works reaallly well for green tomatoes.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/GREEN-TOMATO-SOUP-230446
danabee at 11:02PM on 09/19/08
Window seal till red or roast them.
pjracz10 at 1:46PM on 09/20/08
there was a post not too long ago with a recipe for a fried green tomato blt sandwich. granted, yours are red now, but maybe for future reference? i made it and it was fantastic. some of the other suggestions people left here-especially sira's-sound wonderful. i'm definitely getting myself to the farmer's market later...
gastronomeg at 3:18PM on 09/20/08
Brown paper bag and in a day or 2 they will be ripe.
JerzeeTomato at 9:02AM on 09/21/08
Get a recipe for pickled green tomatoes. If you like sour pickles (Jewish style) you'll love pickled green tomatoes. You can see them in the supermarket. Check the ingredients; that will give you an idea of what makes them pickled or get yourself to the library and find a cook book with instructions. It's as easy as pie and probably easier. Or get on the internet; they'll find you a recipe for sure. I got a great recipe for french cornichons. I grew them in my garden when my French husband brought back the seeds from France one year. They were great. surrah@optonline.net
shirl at 7:52PM on 09/22/08
Either Fried Green Tomatoes or a chutney. If they are not very flavorful than the chutney would be excellent because there are lots of spices added. A hot sauce would be a good use too.
RisaG at 9:45PM on 09/22/08
Just a thanks, I followed the advice of many who suggested roasting the tomatoes (I'd already "ripened" them to a red state). I'd done this before with Romas but not this variety ("standard supermarket" is the best description I can give). Cut into large wedges, tossed in extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt and roasted for about 1 1/2 hours at 300F. We also roasted some garlic until sweet and then tossed both with angel hair pasta and served with parmigiano reggiano. Absolutely fabulous. Talk about turning a sow's ear into a silk purse.
OliverRanch at 10:00PM on 09/23/08
I just made a huge amount of Green Tomato Pickles. Bring to boil 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 1/2 cup white vinegar. Add a spice bag containing 2 teaspoons pickling spice, 5 whole peppercorns, and 5 whole allspice. Bring to boil and throw in the sliced tomatos for 2 minutes. Layer tomatos in canning jars alternating with thin strips of crystallized ginger. Pour hot liquid over the top and seal with lid. I made 30 pints of these last week and only have 2 left, friends and family love them.
Foody2 at 11:44AM on 11/05/08