Green Tomatoes, Asters and Goldenrod

Created on 10/4/2009

The last few days have been chilly in central Ohio so I decided to pick all of my tomatoes. These are not the sun ripened red and yellow tomatoes I was harvesting a few weeks ago- these have been sitting on the vines for a while, suspended in a state of perpetual greenness. The fruits were unable to glean enough warmth from the early fall days and gray skies to change into their usual full sweet ripe glory. In a matter of days the frost will kill them and turn them to mush. I gathered them up along with the few remaining Hungarian and jalapeno peppers left in the garden.

Green tomatoes are the last tangy taste of summer. They have a different flavor than their sweet counterparts and are great for chutneys or salsas. Of course, if you have some fat ones available cut them into slices, dip in beaten egg and dredge in seasoned bread crumbs and fry in olive oil for classic fried green tomatoes. Most of my green tomatoes were small, unripened cherry tomatoes; I had something else in mind.

Tonight I made some steak quesadillas with green tomato sauce. It was easy- I used some left over grilled steak I had on hand and fresh green tomatoes, peppers and cilantro from the garden. I sautéed two cups of chopped green tomatoes, a few tomatillos, a small onion, and two small cloves of garlic in a little olive oil until soft and then added a few tablespoons of chopped cilantro and a jalapeno. I let this simmer until everything was cooked and perfectly melded together. This makes enough sauce for four quesadillas.

For each, I put some cut up cooked steak, green tomato sauce and some cheddar cheese in between two whole wheat tortillas. I like my tortillas brown and crispy on each side so when you cut into wedges the cheese and sauce are deliciously molten.

Purple asters and yellow goldenrod picked at the same time from the late garden are the ideal complement for the table. It may be a little corny but lately like a fine wine I have been pairing my flowers with my menus, each changing with the season.