ONLINE EXTRA — GOING GREEN: Green Tomato Relish . . . Green Tomato Pickles . . . Oven-Fried Green Tomatoes, etc.

Green Tomato Relish

1 quart ground onions

1 quart ground cabbage, about 1 large head

1 quart ground green tomatoes

18 bell peppers, a combination of green, red, and other colors, ground (see note)

½ cup salt

6 cups sugar

4 cups vinegar

2 cups water

2 tablespoons celery seed

1½ teaspoons turmeric

Combine onions, cabbage, green tomatoes, green and red bell peppers and salt; cover and let stand overnight. In the morning, drain well. Put vegetables in a large kettle; add sugar, vinegar, water, celery seed and turmeric. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Pack into hot sterilized pint jars.

Seal and process in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes.

Note: Red bell peppers can be expensive, but they are sweeter and add color to the relish.

Yield: 8 to 10 pints.

Green Tomato Hash

2 cups leftover chopped beef, pork or ham

1 cup diced raw potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup diced green tomatoes

¼ cup chopped onion

Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine ingredients; mix well. Turn into a buttered casserole and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Yield: Serves 4.

Green Tomato Pickles

4 quarts sliced green tomatoes, loosely packed

1 quart sliced onion, loosely packed

1 cup pickling salt, divided

2 pounds light brown sugar

6 cups vinegar (5 percent acidity)

2 small red chile peppers

1/3 cup mustard seeds

¼ cup celery seeds

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon whole allspice

2 teaspoons whole cloves

Place sliced tomatoes and sliced onion in separate bowls; sprinkle ¾ cup salt over tomatoes and ¼ cup salt over onion; stir both mixtures. Cover both bowls and let stand at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours. Place tomatoes in a cheesecloth bag and squeeze gently to remove excess juice. Repeat this procedure for onion. Discard the salt liquid. Combine tomatoes, onion, sugar, vinegar, chili peppers, mustard seeds, celery seeds and pepper in a large kettle. Tie allspice and cloves in a small cheesecloth bag; add to tomato onion mixture. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, over low heat 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Pack tomato mixture and liquid into hot sterilized 1-quart jars (with 1 piece of the chili pepper in each jar — cut if necessary), leaving ½-inch headspace; wipe jar rims. Cover at once with metal lids, and screw on ring bands. Process in a boiling water bath 10 minutes.

Store in a cool dark place. Store opened pickles in refrigerator.

Yield: 4 1-pint jars or 2 1-quart jars.

Oven-Fried Green Tomatoes

4 to 6 green tomatoes, cut in ¼-inch thick slices

2 eggs, beaten

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1/3 cup water

Salt and pepper

1½ cups all-purpose flour

Sprinkle tomato slices with salt and pepper on both sides. In a shallow bowl, mix beaten eggs, milk, and water. Put the all-purpose flour in a shallow bowl. Dip each slice into egg mixture, then into flour. Dip each slice into egg and then into the flour again. Arrange tomatoes in large, shallow, greased baking pans, or bake in 1 pan, in batches. Tomatoes should not touch. Bake uncovered in 400-degree oven 20 minutes, turning halfway through.

For crunchier coating, dip slices the second time into egg mixture then into seasoned bread crumbs or corn flake crumbs, with a little Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Green Tomato Chow-Chow

1 quart green tomatoes (stem core removed), coarsely chopped

1 cup cabbage, coarsely chopped

1 green pepper, coarsely chopped

1 small hot pepper, coarsely chopped

¼ cup onion, coarsely chopped

¾ cup vinegar

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Bring vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil. Add mixed vegetables to liquid. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and cool. Place in airtight container and refrigerate. Serve cold.

Note: Excellent condiment for hot dogs, hamburgers on buns or with a steak and beans dinner.

Green Tomatoes and Veggies

1 small zucchini, sliced into matchsticks

3 to 4 medium green tomatoes, sliced thin, core removed

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 small eggplant, chopped

1 small red or green sweet pepper, thinly sliced into strips

1 medium head garlic

Olive oil

Black pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare the vegetables. Remove the skin from the head of garlic but do not

crush the cloves or chop them. Leave the garlic cloves whole. Heat about

2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil on high in a heavy skillet. Add the sweet pepper and

onion and garlic and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables

and continue cooking until they are done to your taste. Grind some fresh

black pepper over all and stir well. Place in serving platter and sprinkle a

small amount of grated Parmesan cheese over all.

Green Tomato Pie

4 or 5 really green tomatoes (2½ cups coarsely grated)

Pastry for an 8-inch, 2-crust pie

1½ cups brown sugar

3 tablespoons flour

Rind of l lemon, grated finely

6 tablespoons lemon juice

½ cup golden raisins

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ cup minced candied ginger

Put tomatoes through a coarse grater or a food processor’s large shredder. Put in a colander and let drain overnight.

Prepare double pie crust. Line 8-inch pie pan with half. Roll out second half and set aside. Mix remaining ingredients with tomatoes. Place in pie shell and cover with top crust. Prick holes in crust. Bake in 450-degree oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 40 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Broiled Tomatoes with Cheese

Green tomatoes

Celery salt

Pepper, to taste

Finely ground bread crumbs

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg beaten well and diluted with 2 tablespoons water

Wash green tomatoes. Drain and dry. Cut tomatoes crosswise into halves and slice a small piece off the tops and the bottoms. Sprinkle the halves with celery salt and pepper, to taste.

Combine bread crumbs and cheese. Dip tomato halves in bread crumb mixture. Then dip in egg-water mixture and again in bread crumbs. Place breaded halves on a greased pan in a moderate oven, 375 degrees and bake until they are nearly soft. Place under broiler, turning once, until they are brown.

Green Salsa Dressing

1 cup green tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 fresh jalapeno pepper or chili pepper

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

2 scallions, green and white parts, cut into l-inch lengths

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Combine green tomatoes, pepper, garlic, scallions and water in a 4-cup glass measure or small microwave safe mixing bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave at High for 2 minutes. Let stand one minute. Pick plastic to release steam.

Remove from oven and uncover carefully. Scape into a blender or food processor. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Yield: 1 2/3 cups.

Green Tomato Salsa

5 medium green tomatoes

2 jalapeno peppers

1 small onion

1 garlic clove

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor.

Stewed Green Tomatoes

2 tablespoons minced onion

2 tablespoons vegetable margarine

2 cups sliced green tomatoes

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon curry powder

1 tablespoon chopped parsley(garnish)

Saute onions in margarine in saucepan until light brown. Add the green tomatoes. Stir and cook the tomatoes slowly until they are tender. Season with the remaining ingredients. Garnish with parsley.

Yield: Serves 4.

Green Tomato Raspberry Jam

2 cups sugar

3 cups chopped greent tomato

1 package raspberry Jello

Use food processor to chop tomatoes fine. Boil combined ingredients for 15 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes. Store refrigerated in screw-cap jars.

Fried Green Tomatoes

BATTER:

1 cup flour

1 egg, separated

¼ cup milk — or more

Garlic salt and black pepper

Mix together the egg yolk, milk, flour and seasonings. You may need to add more milk to get the batter to a pancake batter consistency. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Also refrigerate the egg white. Remove from the refrigerator and whip the egg white until very soft peaks form. Gently incorporate into the batter.

Remove blossoms from the green tomatoes and cut out the core. Cut the tomatoes as you would a red tomato for salad—not chopped—sliced. Heat up the deep fryer or at least ¾-inch of oil in a heavy skillet. When the oil is hot, dip the tomatoes in the batter and drop into the hot oil. Fry to a golden brown.

Remove and drain well.

Green Tomatoes and Veggies

1 small zucchini, sliced into matchsticks

3 to 4 medium green tomatoes, sliced thin — core removed

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 small eggplant, chopped

1 small red or green sweet pepper, thinly sliced into strips

1 medium head garlic

Olive oil, black pepper

Grated parmesan cheese

Prepare the vegetables. Remove the skin from the head of garlic but do not crush the cloves or chop them. Leave the garlic cloves whole. Heat about 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil on high in a heavy skillet. Add the sweet pepper and onion and garlic and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables and continue cooking until they are done to your taste. Grind some fresh black pepper over all and stir well. Place in serving platter and sprinkle a small amount of grated Parmesan cheese over all.

Green Tomato Rice

4 slices bacon, diced

1 bunch green onions, sliced, with most of green (6 to 8)

4 medium green tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup long-grain rice

Dash dried leaf thyme

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Dash Tabasco sauce, optional

¼ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese, optional

In a medium saucepan, saute the bacon over medium heat until crisp; remove to paper towels to drain. In 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings, saute green onions for 1 minute. Add green tomatoes and saute for 1 minute longer. Add garlic and jalapeno pepper; saute for another 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, rice, thyme, pepper and Tabasco sauce. Bring to a boil. Stir, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in Parmesan cheese just before serving, if desired. Sprinkle with the cooked bacon.

Yield: Serves 4.

Green Tomato Bread

½ cup canola oil

8 ounces nonfat yogurt, plain

3 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup Splenda (or use all sugar)

2 cups green tomatoes, pureed, juice drained and discarded

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Combine oil, yogurt, eggs, sugar, Splenda and green tomatoes in a large bowl and mix well. Sift together all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices and add to wet ingredients along with the whole wheat flour. Stir together just until combined. Divide evenly between 2 prepared pans and bake just until a toothpick comes clean from the center of the bread, about 45 minutes. Let cool in pans, then remove. To retain moisture, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. May be frozen.

Yield: 2 loaves (serves about 20).

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