Gaby
Creative restaurateurs around the globe have embraced the tradition of using unripe vegetables and fruits from Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisines. At the heart of these innovations is a focus on health. Green fruits retain chlorophyll, which would otherwise convert to sugar as they ripen. Additionally, pigmented vegetables and fruits are increasingly becoming problematic for allergy sufferers. As a result, children’s and dietary foods are being made from green fruits, while gourmet cuisine features fresh and pickled unripe fruits in various combinations. Among these recipes are popular dishes with green mangoes and papayas, desserts made from unripe dates and plums, almonds or bananas, strawberries, and blueberries. Even wine is now being produced from unripe grapes. The most accessible seasonal use of unripe fruits is in recipes featuring green tomatoes. Anything that doesn’t ripen by October can be turned into healthy winter preserves.
Georgian-Style Green Tomatoes
This zesty appetizer, prepared using a classic recipe, can be served alongside meat or fried potatoes. The ingredient quantities are specified for a two-liter jar.
Ingredients: green tomatoes (of uniform size) – 1.5 kg; garlic – 2 heads; parsley or cilantro (or a mix) – a bunch; chili pepper – half a pod; water – 1 liter; salt – 2 tablespoons; sugar – 1 tablespoon.
Make a crosswise incision in each tomato (almost all the way through). Chop the herbs, pepper, and garlic, then mix them together. Stuff the tomatoes with this mixture. Place the vegetables in prepared jars and cover them with cooled brine made from water, salt, and sugar.
Cover with a nylon lid and let them sit at room temperature for three days (on the second day, add more brine if it doesn’t completely cover the tomatoes after they’ve absorbed some of the liquid), after which store the jar in a cool place.
On the tenth day, the pickles will be ready according to the classic recipe. The stuffed tomatoes will be firm, and the spiciness of the pepper will harmoniously complement the basic sweet-and-sour flavor.
Pickled Green Tomatoes with Garlic (No Vinegar)
The amount of water and spices is calculated for one kilogram of tomatoes. You can pickle unripe tomatoes using any size container.
Ingredients: green tomatoes – 1 kg; garlic (chopped) – 2 tablespoons; water – 2 liters; bay leaves – 4 pieces; sugar – 4 tablespoons; salt – 2 tablespoons.
Prick each tomato with a toothpick. In a pot, mix water with sugar and salt, then add the chopped garlic and bay leaves (a few pieces). Place the pot on the stove, bring to a boil, and simmer for two minutes.
Pour the hot brine (without the bay leaves) over the tomatoes in the jars, and after 15 minutes, pour the brine back into the pot for a second boiling. Once it boils again, pour the brine with the bay leaves into the jars and seal them.
Spicy Green Tomatoes for Winter
This recipe is designed for two 0.5-liter jars.
Ingredients: green tomatoes – ½ kg; water – ½ liter; chili pepper – 1 piece; garlic – 2 cloves; dill and parsley – 2 sprigs each; black pepper – 6 peas; allspice – 4 peas; bay leaves – 2 pieces; 9% vinegar – 2 tablespoons; salt – 2 tablespoons; sugar – 1 tablespoon.
Combine all the ingredients in two sterilized half-liter jars. Pour boiling water over them. After 15 minutes, drain the brine back into the pot, bring it to a boil again, and pour it back into the jars, sealing them with lids. The green tomatoes will be ready in two months, just in time for winter.
Salad with Salted Green Tomatoes
Once the pickles are ready, try this delicious salad recipe for your autumn and winter table.
Ingredients: salted green tomatoes – 2 pieces; onion – 1 piece; olive oil – 1 tablespoon; ground black pepper – a pinch.
Slice the salted green tomatoes and a fresh red tomato. Chop the onion. Mix all the vegetables together, seasoning with olive oil and ground black pepper.
Adjika from Green Tomatoes
Cooked adjika should be made without garlic, while raw adjika must include garlic.
Ingredients: green tomatoes – 2 kg; hot pepper – 200 g; parsley – a bunch; dry adjika (a fragrant spice mix that includes hot pepper, sweet red pepper, dried garlic, and salt) – 1 tablespoon; salt – 1 tablespoon; vegetable oil – 70 g; vinegar – 50 g; sugar – 1/3 cup; ground black pepper – a pinch; khmeli-suneli – a pinch.
Remove the seeds from the hot pepper and pass it through a meat grinder, then add it to a pot with the chopped green tomatoes and parsley. Pour in the oil and vinegar. Add the sugar, salt, dry adjika, ground black pepper, and khmeli-suneli.
Place on the stove, bring to a boil, and cook for 30 minutes after boiling. Immediately after removing from heat, distribute the finished adjika into sterilized jars and seal them.
Raw Adjika from Green Tomatoes
The inclusion of garlic and horseradish in the recipe replaces the cooking process.
Ingredients: green tomatoes – 3 kg; hot pepper – 100 g; horseradish – 100 g; dill – 100 g; garlic – 200 g; salt – 1 tablespoon; sugar – 1 teaspoon.
Pass the vegetables and herbs through a meat grinder, mix them, and add salt and sugar. Stir, pack into sterilized jars, and seal.
Green Tomato Jam for Winter
Use small, light green unripe tomatoes.
Ingredients: green tomatoes – 1 kg; sugar – 1 kg; water – 250 ml; lemon – 1 piece.
Wash and dry the green tomatoes, removing seeds and stems. Cut the fruits into eight pieces.
Pour a cup of water into a pot and dissolve the sugar in it. Place on the stove and bring to a boil. Add the cut tomatoes to the boiling syrup and cook for ten minutes. Remove from heat and let cool, then return to the stove and boil for another ten minutes.
Repeat the cooking process once more, adding lemon juice and grated zest to the tomato syrup. Pack the tomato jam into sterilized jars and seal.
Fried Green Tomatoes
This dish from American cuisine is a healthy snack that’s quick to prepare.
Ingredients: green tomatoes – 4 pieces; egg – 1 piece; milk – 1/3 cup; Tabasco sauce – 1 tablespoon; flour or breadcrumbs – ½ cup; melted butter – 2 tablespoons; black pepper and salt – a pinch each.
Slice the tomatoes into pieces. In a bowl, beat the egg with milk, Tabasco sauce, black pepper, and salt. Dip the tomatoes in the prepared batter and coat them in breadcrumbs (or flour).
Melt the butter in a skillet. Fry the tomato pieces for two minutes on each side. You can simplify the recipe even further by just frying the green tomatoes coated in flour.
So don’t let a single fruit go to waste in your garden: a skilled hostess will make good use of everything that’s grown!
