Spring's arrival puts veggies on the radar
Now that spring finally has arrived, folks are eager to work in their yards, whether planting ornamentals or edibles.
A friend's husband has hit the books researching what foods would be best to plant on their land. He really wants to make the most of his resources.
Garden shops and nurseries had a banner weekend with shoppers ready to start planting. I'm ready for my daughter, who does our herb and vegetable gardens, to get started. Few things are as tasty as homegrown tomatoes and cucumbers; they just have so much flavor.
Virginia Farrell must like tomatoes, too. She asked readers for their favorite green tomato recipes, and three readers have some different types of recipes for her. These recipes range from green tomato sweet pickles to green tomato mincemeat pie. Like I said, readers enjoy helping their fellow readers.
"Here's something a little different to do with your green tomatoes: green tomato mincemeat pie," said Mary Beth Greenleaf of Bradenton. "I don't do any canning anymore, so I cut this recipe down from my old 'Ball Blue Book' canning guide.
"The first numbers are for my mother's old deep glass 10-inch pie pan. The numbers in parentheses are for a 9-inch pan. In both cases, use your favorite homemade pie crust or cheat and use the
store-bought deep-dish crust (just as good these days)," she said.
GREEN TOMATO MINCEMEAT PIE
4 (2) cups green tomatoes, chopped
3 (2) cups Granny Smith apples, pared and chopped
1 ( 1/2) cup raisins
1 ( 1/2) orange, whole, seeded and chopped fine
1/2 (1/4) cup suet, chopped fine
2 (1- 1/2) cups brown sugar
4 (2) tablespoon cider vinegar
1 (1) tablespoon salt
1 ( 1/2) teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 (1/4) teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 (1/4) teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 (1/8) teaspoon ginger
1/4 (1/8) teaspoon allspice
Mix together all ingredients, put into prepared crust. Cover with full crust or lattice crust. Bake about 40 minutes at 375 degrees.
-- Submitted by Mary Beth Greenleaf
Nedra Baldwin of Biloxi, Miss., shares two recipes, fried green tomatoes and oven-fried green tomatoes. The fried tomato recipe is taken from Naomi Judd's cookbook, "Naomi's Home Companion." The oven one is from "Mama Dip's Kitchen" by Mildred Council.
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
3 medium firm green tomatoes, about 1 pound
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup white cornmeal
About 2-1/4 cups solid shortening (1 pound can) or 2-1/4 cups bacon fat, for frying
Cut tomatoes into 4 ( 1/2-inch) thick slices. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge slices in cornmeal, coating well on both sides.
In a large heavy skillet, add enough shortening or bacon fat to a depth of 1/2-inch and heat on high until shimmering and starting to smoke a little. Add half of tomato slices, lower heat to medium high. Cover skillet and cook until bottoms of tomatoes are browned and sizzling stops, about 4 minutes.
Turn tomatoes over. Cover and cook second side, about 2 minutes. Should be slightly soft around the firm edges. Remove tomatoes to paper towel to drain. Taste, if tart, sprinkle with sugar while still hot. Serves 4.
-- Submitted by Nedra Baldwin from "Naomi's Home Companion"
OVEN-FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
4 green tomatoes, sliced
1/2 stick butter or margarine
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup self-rising flour
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in baking pan. Stir in salt and pepper. Coat tomatoes with flour and place in pan. Bake on lower rack of oven for 8 minutes. Then turn the oven up to broil in order to brown the tomato slices. Serves 6.
-- Submitted by Nedra Baldwin from "Mama Dip's Kitchen"
Steve Leonard sent several green tomato recipes, mostly for relishes, pickles and chow chow, but also some from the "Ball Blue Book." I will share a couple this week and more next week. I know readers will be anxious to have the chow chow recipes because every year I get requests for good chow chow.
These two recipes are taken from "The Gasparilla Cookbook" compiled by the Junior League of Tampa, in 1961. One can tell that Leonard's a cookbook collector, too.
GREEN TOMATO RELISH
1 quart green tomatoes
1 quart ripe tomatoes
2 bunches celery
2 sweet peppers, preferably red for color
2 large onions
1 small cabbage
2 cucumbers
1 pound brown sugar
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 quart vinegar
Chop tomatoes, celery, peppers, onions, cabbage and cucumbers all together; add 1/2 cup of salt and let stand 2 hours. Drain off all excess liquid.
In large pot, mix sugar, mustard seed, pepper and vinegar. Heat and when sugar dissolves, add chopped vegetables. Bring to slow boil and fill sterilized jars. Chill before serving. Makes 7 pint jars. Delicious on ham or lamb sandwiches. It is important to chop vegetables rather than grind them.
-- Submitted by Steve Leonard from "The Gasparilla Cookbook"
MIS MEL ROBERTSON'S GREEN TOMATO PICKLES (SWEET)
1 peck green tomatoes (equal to 8 dry quarts)
6 large onions
1/2 cup salt
2 quarts water
4 quarts vinegar
2 pounds brown sugar
2 tablespoons whole cloves
2 tablespoons white mustard seed
2 tablespoons whole allspice
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons cinnamon
Slice tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle with salt and let stand overnight. In the morning, drain well. Put them into a porcelain kettle (modern aluminum best) with water and 1 quart vinegar. Boil 15 minutes; drain them dry.
In kettle, combine the remaining 3 quarts of vinegar, sugar and spices. Boil slowly for 1 hour, taking care not to burn. When cold put in stone crock and cover.
-- Submitted by Steve Leonard from "The Gasparilla Cookbook"
Another lentil recipe
"Some time ago, one of your readers requested lentil recipes," said Bernice Strickland of Bradenton. "The following is a hearty lentil casserole recipe that I've used and enjoyed for more than 20 years. It's great with hot corn muffins and salad."
HEARTY LENTIL CASSEROLE
2 cups dried lentils
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup milk or yogurt or light cream
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Wash lentils; cook in about 3- 1/2 cups water in covered pan for about 30 minutes or until lentils absorb water.
In skillet, saute onion in oil until brown. Add tomato sauce, green pepper and spices; heat thoroughly.
Remove from heat; add milk, yogurt or light cream. Add lentils to sauce and blend well. Place mix in lightly oiled 1- 1/2 quart casserole and top with shredded cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.
-- Submitted by Bernice Strickland
Vegetarian chili
For Lent or any time, a vegetarian chili makes a hearty, no-meat meal. Virginia Farrell, who requested the green tomato recipes, shares her favorite vegetarian chili recipe.
VEGETARIAN CHILI
2- 1/2 cups dry kidney beans, soaked
1 cup tomato juice
1 cup uncooked bulgur wheat
2 tablespoons oil
2 cups chopped onion
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium stalk celery
1 medium carrot, diced
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons basil
2 teaspoons chili powder
Black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
1 medium bell pepper
1 (14- 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Parsley, minced
Grated cheese
Place soaked beans in Dutch oven or kettle. Cover with water and bring to a boil, partially covered; then simmer covered and cook until tender about 1-1/4 hours. Add water if necessary.
Heat oil in skillet. Add onions, garlic, carrot, celery and seasoning. Saute over medium heat 5 minutes. Add bell pepper and saute until tender.
Add sauted veggies, tomatoes, paste and beans. Simmer over lowest heat stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes. After 15 minutes, taste and adjust seasoning. Top with parsley and cheese.
-- Submitted by Virginia Farrell
Coming next week
Easter's on its way, so we'll have some Easter dinner ideas, plus more green tomato recipes.
Andrea Yeager, can be reached at ayeager51@cableone.net and takes requests at Cook's Exchange, P.O. Box 4567, Biloxi, MS 39535-4567.
This story was originally published March 25, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Spring's arrival puts veggies on the radar ."