Slow-Roasted Garlicky Green Tomatoes

I had some leftover green tomatoes from the green tomato pie with buttermilk-cornmeal crust and did not know what to do. Batter them up and fry them? Too greasy and reminiscent of Donne. Then I stumbled on this Gardening in the Mitten site. Yeow! I added some garlic to the tomatoes and then took some extra steps, as you'll see below. The slow-roasting gentles the puckery taste, giving the unripe fruits a deep, earthy flavor and a buttery mouthfeel. Red pepper adds some heat, and the garlic provides an Old World aroma, your kitchen transforming into a garden tended by Botticelli's goddesses.

Ingredients

a few green tomatoes (the unripe variety, not the heirloom kind)

a few cloves of garlic, peeled (two or three for every tomato)

splash or two of olive oil

salt

pepper

red pepper flakes

Process

Preheat your oven to 250. 

Line a baking pan with foil. Chop the tomatoes and lay on the foil. Add the garlic.

Drizzle olive oil on top. Grind salt and pepper, then add a dash or two of red pepper flakes.

Curve the foil so that it surrounds the tomatoes and prevents leakage. 

Roast for two hours.

For a delicious lunch, try the following:

Toast a sesame bagel. Lay both halves on a plate.

Layer the bagel halves with sharp cheddar.

Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

Top with roasted green tomatoes.

Chop some radicchio as a side salad.

 Notes

 

• I used only two tomatoes, but you can use any number. Adjust proportions of other ingredients accordingly.
• This really does take two hours for optimal effect, so start at 10:00 if you want your lunch by noon!
• This would be a great pasta topping with more red pepper flakes and parmesan. 
• It might not hurt to zest a lemon on the tomatoes before roasting.

Verdict

Until now, I was scared of green tomatoes. Now, I'll look for them every August.