What to do with a mass of green tomatoes?

by Andrew Barrow, Posted May 23rd 2006 @ 6:28PM

I had a need for green tomatoes for the stunningly marvelous idea of recreating an Austrian dessert dish - Griseknödel mit Grünen Paradeisern (Semolina Dumplings with Green Tomato Compôte). Of course I didn't realise that green tomatoes are next to bloody impossible to find in the UK.

Basically you can't get them... anywhere. Until that is my dear pal Johanna suggested the Mexican restaurant in central London. What may turn out to be a slightly misguided idea I actually brought a pack of genuine, imported La Costeña Tomatillos. Mestizo charged me twenty quid (US$38). Excessive? Expensive? Crazy? Yep all of those!

The tin contains 6lb 4oz of imported Mexican Tomatillos. Not even certain they are the quite what I need but I am about to open them for the minuscule 6oz I need.

So people I need some ideas on how to use the rest up. I need links to recipes people!

Filed Under: Food Quest, Ingredients
Tags: british isles, food and drink, Food Quest, FoodAndDrink, green tomatoes, GreenTomatoes, tomatillos, vegetables, what to do with, WhatToDoWith

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

5-23-2006 @6:40PM liz said... yeah, i hate to tell you, but tomatillos aren't tomatoes. they're quite a bit more tart and crunchy.
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5-23-2006 @6:46PM Marc said... Make tomatillo sauce. Here's my version of a sauce for enchiladas, tortilla casserole or vegetables: http://marcsala.blogspot.com/2006/02/three-mexican-sauces.html

I'm not sure how the canned tomatillos will respond to roasting, so an alternative would be to skip steps 2, 3 and the first part of 4 (the tomatillo roasting part). That is, just throw the tomatillos into the blender with the roasted garlic and onion.
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5-23-2006 @6:56PM John said... Andrew: are they just canned small tomatoes, or actual tomatillos? If they're tomatoes, there's a plethora of things you could do with them: green marinara sauce (for pasta); salsa verde (or more than one flavor); green tomato paste (just cook them down for a couple hours). They'll also freeze really well.

If they're (actual) tomatillos, well, I haven't dealt with them before (not the canned variety; only the fresh ones).

Good Luck!
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5-23-2006 @7:02PM Andrew said... Liz - they look like tomatoes just with more seeds. I am going to use them anyway!

A sauce for enchiladas - excellent!
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5-23-2006 @7:18PM Donna Kimsey said... No! NOT tomatoes. As Liz said - much more tart and crunchy. Very seedy. Good for salsa - pudding? Doubtful.
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5-23-2006 @7:21PM Andrew said... I started to make the sauce today - it needs to sit overnight - and removed the mass of pips from the fruit. They may not be quite the 'right thing' but I think it is the tartness that is required...
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5-23-2006 @7:31PM Mark said... I hope you cooked these guys for a little while. Raw is pretty tough on the old chops.

A green salsa with the tomatillos, jalapenos, garlic a little vinegar and a little sugar and salt. Throw the chopped ingredients into your blender, but don't over process it. Oh, don't forget the cilantro, if you can get it. That's pretty authentic tomatillo salsa there.

By the way, I love this site.
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5-23-2006 @7:33PM Mark said... Sorry, if those are canned, they're probably already soft and perhaps somewhat blanched and in juice. Should be good to go. Living where I do, I always get fresh in the hulls and they are kind of a pain, but oh so good.
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5-23-2006 @7:49PM eander said... I second the salsa verde suggestion. I don't use a particular recipe, but cummin, garlic, jalapenos, and a small amount of chicken boullion will make a good one. There are various recipes all over the net, just pick one and go to town, it's good stuff. Most Tex-Mex and even more authentic Mexican restaurants serve it with tortilla chips, poured over chicken enchaladas, etc.
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5-23-2006 @7:57PM Nicole Weston said... There are lots of tomatillo ideas here: http://www.slashfood.com/2006/05/04/ingredient-spotlight-tomatillos/
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5-23-2006 @9:34PM DENNIS said... WHEN HE REAL GREEN TOMATOES ARRIVE. EGG AND MILK BATH...SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE IN A SHALLOW PAN OF FLOUR. SLICE LIKE YOU WOULD FOR A SANDWICH PUT IN THE LIQUID AND THEN INTO THE FLOUR. COVER WELL AND FRY TO A LIGHT GOLDEN BROWN IN A BIT OF OILBLOT ON PAPER TOWEL. SHAKE WITH SALT WHEN DONE. FROM HERE ON IT'S UP TO YOU IF YOU WANT A CONDIMENT.
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5-23-2006 @11:24PM Gwaant said... If you really did want tomatillos, you can often get them in the UK from the Cool Chilie Co http://www.coolchile.co.uk for a lot less than 20 quid - when they are in stock.

If you can get to Borough market you can usually see the Cool Chilie Co guys there.
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5-24-2006 @2:52AM Sir Not Appearing in this Blog said... Aren't any varieties of green tomatoes available in the UK? I'm a big fan of the Green Zebra myself. I'd be delighted to send you a seed packet or three. Or are you looking for immature specimens of any variety?
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5-24-2006 @9:27AM J.Ho said... You can probably get green tomatoes in London if you ask you local grocery store manager. Many times grocery stores receive tomatoes when they are green and they leave them on the vine to ripen, then place them on display for sale. So, ask, they might have some green tomatoes in the back. This works for me 9 out of 10 times. I love to make fried green tomatoes.

I also agree that tomatillos are the base for green chili sauce. Canned tomatillos? No thanks!
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