3 Green-Tomato Treats

When  my tomato plants approach  jungle extremes, I question the sanity of planting so many. Then I remember the delicious things I can do with green tomatoes all summer long rather than waiting until fall frost warnings to enjoy the last green stragglers. Green-tomato cake,  no-proccessing raspberry green-tomato jam, and of course, fried green tomatoes are all  tasty and worth putting in an extra plant or two specifically to use before they ripen. All three recipes are super-fast to prepare.

Green Tomato Cake
is so  dense, moist and rich that you will want to cool and taste before deciding whether to frost it....seriously.  The jury is divided on whether or not frosting is just plain overkill. I like that the tomato bits stay green and don't disappear into the cake when baked.

Preheat oven to 350. Mix 2 1/4 c. sugar, 1 c. vegetable oil, 3 eggs, and 2 tsp. vanilla. In another bowl combine 3 c. flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp. baking powder and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Combine both mixtures - the batter will be very thick - and then stir in 2 1/2 c. diced green tomatoes, 1 c. chopped  pecans or walnuts, and 1 c. raisins. This is a very stiff batter. Place in a greased or sprayed 9x13 pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and frost with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting......or not!

Simple Raspberry Green-Tomato Jellyjam for non-'canners'
Jelly, by definition, is clear and has no fruit pulp or texture like jam does .   This incredibly tasty concoction is somewhere between the two and is so easy that a visiting 11-year old made a batch this week in just a few minutes. The original recipe directed grinding the tomatoes,  I use the cutting blade in a food processor.

Put 5 c. ground green tomatoes (to get 5c. you will probably need more tomatoes than you expect) in a large pot with 2 TB. lemon juice. Boil for one minute. If using a standard 5 qt.dutch oven pot, keep an eye on it later to avoid boil over, it will be VERY  full. Add three small boxes of raspberry jello and 5 c. sugar and boil for 5 minutes. If you are into canning, put in jars & process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. I'm not, so I  just pour it  into  old pickle jars or plastic freezer containers.  Refrigerate until set, then freeze any you won't be using in a  month or so...this is what the original recipe said but  on a few occasions when I made giant batches,   I've just kept  some in my refrigerator for  several months...in the end it will just get a bit watery...time to throw it out.     Whether you 'can' it, refrigerate it, or freeze it, this makes about 5 pints of beautiful   raspberry-red  jellyjam!

Fried Green Tomatoes
There are  as many ways to make this classic southern dish as there are cooks. Some dip the slices in beaten egg either before breading, or both before and after, dipping and breading twice. I sometimes dip them once in buttermilk or sour milk. Some cooks use only flour, some use only cornmeal, some new-agers use Panko or even regular dry breadcrumbs. I am not fond of the panko/breadcrumb versions but do like all the others. If you like the basic  version here, you can experiment to find your own favorite method.


Mix equal parts white flour and yellow cornmeal. Add salt and pepper and maybe a little garlic powder to taste. Slice green tomatoes and dip them immediately in the flour mixture, coating well. ( they'll be moist right when they're cut, so the coating should stick)  Place in a skillet in a small amount of hot oil, and cook until browned and crisp on both sides, just a few minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve with salt and a dip made of 2 parts mayonnaise and 1 part grainy mustard. Oh my. Little slices of heaven! Good side dish,   or appetizer,   or to serve with breakfast.......and  absolutely wonderful  with the sauce on a hamburger, or inside  grilled-cheese  or BLT sandwiches.

Huevos Rancheros

Mexican Ranch Eggs - there are dozens of versions of this dish, but this is the one we like for breakfast any time I have a handful of ground beef on hand. As often as not, we skip the tortilla base.  This recipe serves 6 people but is easy to make just a portion or two.

If using tortillas as a base, heat oven to 400 and lightly spray a baking sheet. Lay 6 flour tortillas on the sheet and bake 8-10 minutes. Or, just heat your skillet and put them in  briefly, one at a time, to warm a bit, then cover the stack of them with foil to stay warm.

Cook beef in a skillet over medium heat, adding 3 Tb taco seasoning and  some salt and pepper as it browns. Add 2 bell peppers, red and green, cut in strips, and stir fry til crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes. I sometimes add half an onion, sliced. Drain on paper toweling, cover to keep warm.

Either poach or cook eggs 'over easy', one or two per person. Assemble the stack: on a tortilla:  place the beef & peppers,then an egg. Sprinkle with a TB or two of shredded cheddar cheese, and spoon on a bit of taco sauce or salsa.     ole' !

Artichoke-Cheese Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

We really liked this fast, easy and flavorful dish that we found in Men's Health Magazine - and it only uses 5 ingredients. Buy a 2- lb tenderloin...... note to novices, this is not a regular pork loin or loin 'roast'...it's the skinny piece sold pre-packaged at your market, usually 2 lbs or smaller. You can ask the butcher to butterfly it, but tenderloins being small, it's easy to do it yourself. Just slice it lengthwise, cutting not quite all the way through, so you can open it flat, like a book.....or a butterfly!

Stir together 1 c. ricotta cheese, 1/2 tsp dried basil, 2 c. chopped fresh baby spinach leaves, and a 5 oz. jar of artichokes, drained and diced. I use oil-packed, but water-packed would work too.

Spread this mixture on the inside of the loin, close it and tie with  cotton string in at least 5 places. Brush the loin lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 25-35 minutes. It's ready when the thermometer reaches about 150-155 (it will continue to cook up to 160 after you remove it from the oven).

We eat a lot of fresh asparagus and it's a perfect accompaniement for the pork.  A 400 degree oven is  perfect....just toss a bunch of fresh asparagus, woody ends broken off, with salt, pepper, and a little olive oil and place on a flat cookie sheet until lightly brown, about 10 minutes depending on it's size...don't let it get limp ro shrivel-y.    Wonderful  tossed with a bit of with sea salt!