What better way to introduce to you killertomato by posting the FIRST OFFICIAL "throw it together food concoction" with killertomato's own killer tomatoes? Read on dreamers...and tell us your thoughts...you can comment anonymously so no need to be shy...even if you won't reveal yourself...
(a short excerpt from killertomato's bio: "When debt, babies and line cook's salaries all come together, it doesn't leave a whole lot on the dinner plate sometimes. This is a day to day sketch of how we get by on a very minimal food budget, the experiments, successes and failures, while still keeping our priorities in check." Read More here.)
The first cool days of October often leave behind a few green tomatoes that will be stubborn to ripen in the autumn sun, especially if you planted late in the season. This year, I have quite a lot, including a small bucket of green striped cherry tomatoes. I feel a twinge of disappointment when this happens, there was so much promise!, and maybe that’s more the reason I relish creating something delicious with them. While doing some volunteer gardening at the Coan Edible School Yard in Atlanta recently, a discussion ensued about how this unripe harvest can still be used, as we pulled up tomato and okra plants to make way for turnips and lettuces. Fried green tomatoes go without saying, curried green tomatoes? OK, I’d try that. I was already planning to make my annual green tomato soup with ham, which is like a tangier version of split pea soup in my mind. One of the organizers, who sounded like she must be a certified canner, plunked a handful of the green cherries into a bucket and said, “I like to pickle these”. This has been the summer of pickling around our house and we’ve got quite a store of cucumbers, okra, and even mangoes but green cherry tomatoes sound so perfect for it, I don’t even know if they’ll make it to Thanksgiving. (More on that project a little bit later. If you happen to have small children who throw tantrums and hang on your legs while you are not paying enough attention to them, some things just have to wait until tomorrow. If you do not, then what are you waiting for? Get moving!)
No ham bones lying around right now, so I’m going with some Southern smoked hot links that my SO (BC) brought home. While they aren’t top of the line sausages or anything, I used them in a pot of red beans and rice over the weekend and the flavor was right on. We’re talking about using what’s in the pantry here and getting the most from your garden and the things you’ve already purchased. For the simplest concoction, here is what you can do: Take 3 lbs of green tomatoes, quarter and roast in the oven slowly at about 200 degrees until they begin to soften. You can turn them out quicker at 350 degrees too, but I find they start to char and drip, leaving a bitter taste in the soup. Take some fat- oil, butter, bacon fat, what have you, and saute a medium onion and large garlic clove. Since I had sausage in this case, I cut it in half (it was a big one!) then split it down the middle, and browned it with the onions and garlic. Add salt and pepper (don’t forget your meat may be salty already!). Now throw your tomato pieces on top, season some more and stir all together for a few more minutes. Add stock to cover well and simmer for about an hour. You can blend it until smooth or eat it chunky. In this case, I needed to use some leftover rice and added it for a more stewy effect.
You don’t eat meat? You could use a vegetable stock and smoke the tomatoes at home in a skillet with wood chips (does your kitchen have good ventilation? do you care?) for a meatier layer. The end result is a zesty and peppery solution to your fall tomato problem that is sure to give your palate a break from the norm and bridge the gap between summer and fall.
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