My favourite part of tomato season isn’t the glut of lush vine ripened tomatoes available, no, not at all. It is easy access to green tomatoes. So I can create green tomato recipes.
This was the sole reason for my attempt at growing my own tomatoes a few years back. I don’t stupidly try to do that anymore. Completely gave up. Bloody (more expletives including the one that starts with ‘F’) possums.
It seems they too were quite happy to eat the green tomatoes when they reached a certain size, the bastards. Now I head to the local farmers’ markets and purchase as many non possum munched green tomatoes as my little heart desires.
If you haven’t eaten a green tomato dish, you are missing out on a true experience. Magic happens when they are cooked, they turn almost jam like in flavour. They haven’t yet gained the acidity of their ripe red brothers. Therefore when cooked, they have a mellow flavour, sweetish, without the tang.
I quite happily slice a green tomato in to thick circles. Then dunk into some flour and egg. Then dunk again in fine polenta or breadcrumbs. It is then simply the case of frying them in some oil.
That recipe would have been a lovely simple one to share with you. But, I have quickly done so above, really not much to it. Instead I wanted to still keep it quite simple but with a little twist.
I am sure you have heard of domatokeftedes, tasty Greek tomato fritters. They were the inspiration for my green fritter babies. I had a recipe by Karen Martini, ripped from one of the Sunday magazines. Lovely recipe but the list of ingredients was a long as my arm. I culled that right down as you can see below.
My recipe isn’t a domatokeftedes recipe, but if you are after a really tasty and easy one, check out Peter’s from Souvlaki for the Soul (recipe here). This recipe will get you on your way to red tomato fritter satisfaction.
But enough about red tomato fritters, let’s get back to the green.
They are easy to prepare and have a minimal ingredient list. I served them simply with minted yoghurt. Can they be frozen if there are more than you can handle? No idea we (read Sara) scoffed the lot. I can advise that they last well in the fridge for a day or two, and reheat in the oven very well.
- 600g green tomatoes, medium diced
- 1 small brown onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 25g parsley, finely chopped
- 15g mint, finely chopped
- 1 egg
- 175g self raising flour
- Place tomatoes, onion, garlic, parsley and mint into a medium sized bowl.
- Mix through egg and then add sifted flour. Stir mixture well until completely combined. Leave to rest for 20 minutes.
- In a large, deep non stick pan heat 8cm of oil until hot. Test with a small amount of batter to see if it sizzles.
- Place tablespoon measure of mixture into the fry pan. Fry one side until golden and then turn over, cook the other side. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Repeat with the remainder of your mixture.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges and yoghurt with mint.
Even if you don’t make my green tomato fritter recipe, I really recommend picking up some green tomatoes while you can. Just one or two, to have a play with. A quick fry in the pan, and you are done. You don’t even have to coat them, maybe even just give them a grill.
Have you ever cooked with green tomatoes? If you have what is you favourite way of doing so? I always love recipe inspiration.
Sara xxx
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I’d never heard of green tomatoes until THAT movie. I thought they were eating unripe tomatoes – never knew there was such a thing as a green tomato. Your fried tomates are so beautifully presented and I do wish I could try them. Might just have to make my own! xx
Hotly Spiced recently posted..Grecian Blue, Mosman
Yes, that movie. I am pretty sure that was the first time I heard of them too. Not an Aussie thing at all. But you are right, they are unripe tomatoes.
How can anyone say no to fritters, even with green tomatoes. I’m afraid I haven’t had much in the way of green tomatoes but this looks like it’d be real good in any case 🙂
Simon @ the heart of food recently posted..Pizza at Home – Part 1: Challenges
I’ve eaten a boatload of fried green tomatoes but I’ve never had a fritter. OMG I love these!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef recently posted..Beetroot Jam
Sara, a big thank you for the shout out! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE what you have done here! Great idea to use green tomatoes…they look gorgeous!
PeterG|Souvlaki For The Soul recently posted..How To Make a Classic Greek Salad
I generally find green tomatoes are a little plain when they’re fried and eaten on their own, but with a topping of condiment, they really shine. These fritters don’t look or sound plain at all, so something tells me I’d happily scoff the entire batch.
And damn those possums! My tomato plants were attacked a few times by birds, but now that the birds have moved on I have a steady – albeit small – supply of toms to keep us happy.
john | heneedsfood recently posted..Burger 10
Damn these look delicious!
At the end of tomato season I always end up pickling all the green tomatoes still left on the vine. These fritters sound delicious and they look pretty wonderful too. I’ll have to save this for later. I can hardly wait!
Melinda @ RecipeFiction recently posted..Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes
Wow, what a delicious looking fritter and idea. I will have to remember to make some for beer o’clock when I stumble across some green tomatoes in my travels.
Katriina | Finding Feasts recently posted..Curried Vegetable Pie – Family Sized
Thanks Katriina, they are absolutely perfect for beer o’clock.
Lovely Recipe! Question? If you do not have self rising Flour can you use Baking Powder?
Hi Enza, yes you could use baking powder if using plain flour. Check on your baking powder package for the correct ratios.