When I go and see her, food is always something that we enjoy together. She's a veggie, and we always talk nonsense over cake and tea (she's a big fan of Ms Cupcake, and rightly so), make big batches of katsu, or enjoy crisps as a sandwich filling. Yep, that's how we roll.
She lives outside London, and that means she gets that most precious of resources, a garden. When I saw her on my most recent visit, she had a great big stash of green tomatoes that she had set on her kitchen windowsill to ripen.
"Could I take a couple?" I asked. She waved me off with a big bag of green tomatoes, a block of vegan chocolate and some huge bolts of original 70s fabric. You can see why I think she's so great, right?!
All I knew of green tomatoes is that you fry them, and that was sort of what I was planning to do. I had the idea of getting some cornmeal and sticking in some lime zest, chopped coriander, chilli, salt and what have you.
That was until I was lazily flicking through my newly acquired copy of India's Vegetarian Cooking - and saw a recipe for stir-fried green tomatoes with two of my favourite flavourings in - asofetida and curry leaves.
I've never cooked with green tomatoes before, but they've got a tang and an acidity I really liked, and that chimed so well with the warmth of the chilli.
The recipe was a simple one, six or so ingredients. It was gorgeous - I stuck a few red cherry tomatoes in for good measure, and a nice sweetness in the background, and snarfed down with some paratha.
What's better than a good friend? A good friend with a great big bunch of green tomatoes!
A few weeks ago we pulled up a cherry tomato plant so cooked up all the green tomatoes from the bush. I think some were *too* green, because they made my mouth tingle and my stomach cramp up. It was one of the few times we've ever thrown away perfectly good food. So I am a little scarred from that experience, but I think this looks intriguing!
ReplyDeleteOh man, your friend sounds crazy awesome. I have friends who load me up with garden produce during the summer, but it's not because I don't have the space to garden, it's just that I hate gardening. :) But it works out well because come July, everyone has way too much zucchini, and in September, every gardener's garage is covered with ripening tomatoes. Win! :) I've never cooked with green tomatoes before but have always wanted to. That's a gorgeous bowl!
ReplyDeleteYou're lucky to have a great friend like that. And what a perfect use for green tomatoes. I never think of putting them in dishes, but why not. I should go see if there are any usable ones left on our plants.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great friend to have! I've never tried green tomatoes but want to give them a go next Autumn. Your dish sounds more appealing to me than fried green tomatoes as I'm not much of a fan of polenta/cornmeal coated food.
ReplyDeleteHey, what a great twist on a classic dish! This gives me some ideas...
ReplyDeleteYou are lucky to have such a good friend, and with a garden to boot. As an urban dweller, not having any outdoor space is my biggest bugaboo.
ReplyDeleteLove your take on US-Southern Meets Indian cuisine. (You know if you put a green tomato on a sunny windowsill, it will ripen in a few days, right?)
Awww, friends are the best. Especially ones who are generous with produce :) I like the spice route you went.
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice looking dish of food. It's interesting that various green tomato recipes have arisen, I guess out of necessity.
ReplyDeleteI saw curry leaves as an ingredient in an Indian cookbook (and in the Indian food store I visited recently), but I've never used them. In fact, the very concept of them confused me because I know of curry as a spice blend, but not a plant. Of course, I've since looked them up on Wikipedia (see Curry tree) and see that they are fairly popular in Indian cuisine. I'm guessing I should try them.
Your friend sounds absolutely amazing! Stir-fried green tomatoes sound really good!
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