Green Tomato Recipes (relish, chutney, pickles, preserves)
Here is a recipe from my Texas Home Cooking cookbook. I'm sure you can reduce or eliminate the jalapenos and/or substitute another milder pepper. This cookbook also has a chowchow recipe that includes green tomatoes. It too adds jalapenos.
Caddo Lake Relish
A less complex variation on chowchow. In Caddo Lake fishing camps, this is served with fresh-caught fried fish and hushpuppies.)
4 pounds (10-12 medium) green tomatoes
1 pound onions
1 cup chopped fresh jalapenos
2 cups cider vinegar, preferably unrefined
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup pickling salt
Coarsely chop the tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos in batches in a food processor, and reserve. Combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a stockpot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the vegetables and boil the mixture vigorously for 2-3 minutes. Spoon the relish into prepared pint canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Process the jars in a water bath for 10 minutes. (Or you could keep them refrigerated if you're worried or don't feel like processing.)
Here's a green tomato chutney recipe from Preserving by Oded Schwartz. He doesn't follow the latest food safety guidelines, so process or refrigerate if you're nervous. This book has quite the variety of weird and wonderful preserves of all kinds. I'm also including its pickled green tomato recipe.
Green Tomato Chutney
This sweet and sour version of a classic recipe is well worth trying. Green tomatoes are notoriously difficult to peel, so if, like me, you do not mind tomato skin in your chutney, there is no need to peel them.
Makes about 3 pints, shelf life 1 yr if heat processed. Serve as an accompaniment to mature cheese or add to sandwiches.
1-1/2 lb. green tomates
1 lb. cooking apples
1/2 lb. onions, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp. salt
3/4 cup raisins [the recipe does not specify what kind of raisins]
2 cups light brown or white sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
grated rind and juice of 2 large lemons
2 tbsp. black or yellow mustard seed
2-3 fresh red chilis, seeded and chopped (optional)
for the spice bag:
1 tbsp. coriander seed
2 tsp. black peppercorns
2 tsp. allspice berries
1 tsp. cloves
2 cinnamon sticks, crushed
Blanch the tomatoes to remove the skin then coarsely chop. Peel, core, and chop the apples. Add the peel and cores to the spice bag.
Put the tomates, apples, onions, and salt in a noncorrosive saucepan. Bring slowly to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the raisins, sugar, vinegar, lemon rind and juice, and spice bag. Return to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes or until thick. Add the mustard seed and chilies, if using, mix well, and remove from the heat.
Ladle into hot, sterilized jars, then seal. The chutney will be ready to eat in 1 month.
Pickled Green Tomatoes
This crunchy, sour pickle comes from Eastern Europe and is popular in North America, where it is an essential item in any good delicatessen. Yields about 2 pints, keeps 1 year refrigerated. Serve with meat, cheese, or with drinks.
2 lb green tomatoes
2-3 fresh or dried red chilies
a few sprigs of dill
2-3 bay leaves
1-1/2 tbsp mustard seed
1 tbsp black peppercorns
4-5 cloves
4 cups cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
4 tbsp honey or sugar
1 tbsp salt
Lightly prick each tomato in several places with a wooden toothpick. Arrange in hot, sterlized jars with the chilies, dill, bay leaves, and spices.
Put the vinegar, water, honey or sugar, and salt in a noncorrosive saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil rapidly for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and let stand until warm.
Pour the warm vinegar into the jars. If there is not enough liquid to cover the tomatoes, top off with cold vinegar then seal. The tomatoes will be ready to eat in 1 month, but improve after 2-3 months.
Here is a green tomato preserve recipe from an old edition of the Settlement Cookbook. On the same page are recipes for things like Russian-style radish preserves and Rhubarb/Fig preserves, so edibility by modern palates is not guaranteed.
Green Tomato Preserves
1 quart sliced green tomatoes
1 quart sugar
1 lemon, grated rind and pulp
1 stick cinnamon
Place tomatoes in skillet. Add sugar, lemon rind and pulp, and cinnamon. Let stand several hours to draw juice. Cook until tomatoes are thick and clear. Pour into hot, sterilized glasses [canning jars] and seal.
This cookbook has several more recipes that include green tomatoes -- things like chowchow, spanish pickle (piccalilli), green tomato relish (mock mince meat), and a green tomato pickle. They seem similar to recipes I've already given.
--jp, hoping that no critical typos have snuck in