In the process of packing and moving, Jackie Commins of Redmond, Ore., lost her recipe for making green tomato pie. She was hoping someone could share one with her.
Judith Nees of Waco, Texas, emailed me a recipe for a green tomato pie that she said comes from a collection of old recipe clippings that belonged to her mother, Alice Canepa. Nees has made it many times, and while she warned that the filling may look a little gelatinous before be being put into the crust, it still makes a wonderful pie. It tastes surprisingly like an apple pie, only slightly tarter. I would never have imagined that hard, unripe green tomatoes could make such a delicious dish.
If you are left with a bumper crop of unripe tomatoes in your garden this fall, give this recipe a shot. If you’ve never tried a green tomato pie, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by just how tasty it can be. Serve it warm or cold, topped with a scoop and vanilla ice cream, and you just might fool people into thinking they are eating a tart apple pie.
Green Tomato Pie
Makes 8 servings
6 to 8 medium green tomatoes (4 cups), sliced
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 Tbsp. butter
Pastry for a 9-inch, double-crust pie (store-bought or basic butter pie crust)
Begin by washing, peeling and thinly slicing the tomatoes.
In a medium- to large-sized saucepan, combine tomatoes, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and cinnamon. Cook these ingredients over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring often to evenly cook the tomatoes.
Combine the sugar and the cornstarch in a small bowl. Add this to the tomatoes and continue to cook until the mixture thickens, about 5 to 8 minutes. It is important to stir the mixture constantly while cooking to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Remove the tomatoes from the stovetop, stir in the butter until it melts and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
Line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry; pour in tomato mixture. Cover with top pastry, seal the edges, crimp and cut several small slits in the crust to allow steam to escape.
Bake in a 425-degree oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until nicely browned. Serve warm or cooled.
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