Green Tomatoes

Guest Post by Maurita Plouff, at her blog Get the Good Stuff 

As the leaves begin to show beautiful colors, the last fruits on the tomato vines reflect them in reverse. Instead of ripe red fruit, cooler weather brings more green tomatoes, with only a few showing color at all. It's a bit sad, knowing that tomato season is quickly drawing to a close. 

Any gardener or farmer wants to get the most yield possible from the plants. A dedicated tomato fan like me wants to savor every last bit of flavor! I learned from my grandmother that tomatoes with a bit of red showing will ripen, if wrapped loosely in paper and kept in a cool cellar. But what to do with the hard green ones? 

This year, after experimenting with about a half bushel of them, I have four very good answers to that question. These are the recipes that passed my tests for flavor, simplicity, and ingenuity. They're all keepers in my kitchen, and perhaps you'll like them in yours! 

Green Tomato Pizza

Pickled Green Tomatoes 

Green Tomato Chutney

Green Tomato Spice Cake 

Yum

Tomato Gratin

Guest Post - Maurita Plouff
Get the Good Stuff

This is an old-fashioned dish: why did it ever get forgotten? It can make even supermarket tomatoes taste good, but it’s best with the luscious tomatoes that come in late summer, bursting with juices and flavor.

Tomato Gratin 
serves 2 

2 big tomatoes, very ripe 
1 slice sturdy bread 
1 big clove garlic 
some olive oil or butte 
salt and pepper 
1-2 oz. cheese of your choice (may be omitted) 

Core the tomatoes and slice them. Lay them out on paper towels, and set them aside while you preheat oven to 400˚F and prepare garlic bread crumbs.

Mince the garlic. Make rough crumbs out of the bread. Heat a bit of oil or butter (or both) in a small skillet, cook garlic until it is very fragrant but not brown. Add the bread crumbs and cook, tossing, until the bread crumbs are coated. Set these crumbs aside while you grate or finely chop the cheese. (I like to use a very sharp cheddar, or gruyere)

Butter a small gratin dish. Put a layer of tomatoes in the bottom – use the ugliest pieces lowest down. Season with salt and pepper, add half the cheese if using, then 1/3 the bread crumbs. Repeat twice, so you have 3 layers of tomatoes and crumbs, crumbs on top.

Bake in the hot oven just until the crumbs are browned, the cheese is melted, and you can’t stand the good smell any more and have to attack it.

This may be doubled, in which case use a larger dish, because you still need to make each layer 1 tomato slice thick, and keep it to only three layers.

Yum

Leftover Oatmeal Bread

Guest Post - Maurita Plouff
Get the Good Stuff

Once the hottest days of summer begin to moderate, and I can stand the idea of running my oven, I have an overwhelming desire to make bread again. This is seriously good bread. 

In the wintertime, I may have leftover oatmeal to use - but as autumn approaches, I will go out of my way to make a batch of oatmeal especially to use in this bread - it's that good. 

Leftover Oatmeal Bread 
Makes 2 loaves or 24 good-sized rolls

3 c leftover cooked oatmeal (I like to use steel cut oats)
2 c warm water
1/4 c honey (4 Tbsp)
2 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp kosher salt
4+ c all-purpose flour

If you make oatmeal especially for the bread, let it cool until just a little warm to your hand. If you're using leftover oatmeal, warm it up a bit and stir it around, so it's not stone cold and has no hot spots. Measurements are approximate, and you should feel free to add a bit more of this, or a bit less of that, to your personal taste.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the oatmeal, water, honey, and yeast; stir enough to break up the oatmeal. Let it sit on the counter for 15 min or so.

Add the salt and 2 cups flour, and mix very well. Don't be afraid to beat it hard: you're developing gluten that will help the bread rise. Add additional flour, mixing well after each addition, until the dough just comes together - it may take 2 more cups, it may take a lot more, it depends on the weather and humidity and all sorts of things.

When the dough will just hold together in a shaggy mass, turn it out onto a well-floured counter. Knead, adding more flour as needed, for 2-3 minutes. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes or so.

After the dough rests, knead it another 3-5 minutes, adding more flour as needed. It takes a bit of experience to know when you've kneaded enough. It will no longer be sucking up flour, the surface will be smooth and a bit less sticky, and it will feel alive under your hands. You can also use the windowpane test.

Put your dough in an oiled clean bowl, turn it so that all surfaces are oiled, then cover with a tea towel and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk.

Turn out on a floured counter and gently punch it down. Shape dough into 2 loaves, or into 24 rolls, and let rise until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Slash the loaves (or rolls) as you prefer, and bake 30 minutes. About 5 minutes before the bread is fully baked, the smell of fresh bread will suddenly dominate your kitchen. Then, check for doneness: the bread will look done, it will sound hollow when turned out of the pan and thumped on the bottom, and the internal temperature is about 200˚.

Let cool for at least an hour before slicing - the bread needs to firm up. Rolls, on the other hand, are the perfect form if you think you'll want some right away. Don't burn your mouth!

Yum