Ideas for Green Tomatoes

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The last few days have been chilly in central Ohio, so I decided to pick all of my tomatoes.

These are not the sunripened 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 jalapeño peppers left in the garden.

Cooking Green Tomatoes

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, dredge in seasoned bread crumbs, and fry in olive oil for classic fried green tomatoes. But most of my green tomatoes were small, unripened cherry tomatoes. I had something else in mind.

Steak Quesadillas + Sauce Recipe

Tonight I made some steak quesadillas with green tomato sauce. It was easy. I used some leftover 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, then added a few tablespoons of chopped cilantro and a jalapeño. 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.

Meet Jennifer Bartley

Jennifer Bartley grew up on a ravine near an ancient Indian mound. She remembers spending glorious childhood days picking wildflowers and playing in an old,…

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