PICKLED GREEN TOMATOES

The growing season in Maine is roughly 90 days. A heavy frost is due soon.  The tomato plants are still loaded with fruit. What to do?

Make tomato pickles!

Though larger tomatoes may be used, I prefer the cherry tomatoes for this gastronomic project.

Choose only green tomatoes. No hint of yellow or red. Remove the stems and give the tomatoes a good washing.

Now, we have two ways of going about this. The first is rather quick and simple. The second method is also simple but requires a little more time.

Method #1:

Clean canning jars

White vinegar

Kosher or canning salt

Pickling spices

Green tomatoes

Pack the jars with the washed tomatoes then fill the jars with vinegar. Pour the vinegar out of the jars and into a nonreactive pot. Keep the tomatoes in the jars.

Add the picking spices to the vinegar, I use about a scant tablespoon per pint, now add about a half cup more vinegar.

Bring the vinegar too a boil, remove from heat and let cool.

When cool, pour back into jars with tomatoes. Cover and store in a cool, dry spot. These will be ready in about a week.

Method #2:

This is a lactofermentation method. The same as making saurkraut.

You will need:

A crock or nonreactive container large enough to hold all the tomatoes.

Distilled water

Kosher or canning salt

Pickling spices

Green tomatoes

Fill the crock with tomatoes, cover with water and then pour out the water into a nonreactive pot. Add 1 cup of salt for every 2 quarts of water. Add spices, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir to desolve salt. Let cool. Pour into crock with tomatoes.

If you have an airlock, the can be purchased at a beer or wine brewing shop, us it or seal the crock and "burp" it each day.

In a week to twelve days you should have some nice pickles.

BREAD PUDDING

I can not remember where I had read a recipe about hollowing out an orange and filling it with a custard. I was making french toast the other morning, had some custard left over and a slice of bread. Grabbed an orange out if the fruit basket, trimmed off the top and scooped out the insides.

Filled it with my bread pudding mixture and baked it in a hot oven for about 25 minutes. 

I thought it came out beautifully. Nice portion size and the orange rind added both a nice flavor and an easy clean up.

EGGPLANT CASSEROLE for 20

Last minute menu change. A guest, who was gluten and dairy free, was not going to be happy with a traditional lasagna. So, I put my thinking cap on and did a little last minute shopping.

Standing in the produce aisle It would have been impossible not to notice the pile of bright, purple eggplants. And the price was right. I grabbed an arm full, really, and then picked up a few summer squash and zucchini.

I had a vague idea of what I was going to do, and was making a mental note of what I had back at the schooner, a partial container of pasta sauce, and a few wedges of gluten free corn bread.

After lunch was served I began construction of the casserole. First step was to cut the squash into chunks, and saute them in olive oil. I also diced up 3 onions and added those, along with a tablespoon of oregano.

The eggplant was cut into 1/2 discs, brushed with olive oil, and grilled on the center of the stove. When a nice char developed I flipped them and repeated the process with the remaining pieces.

The eggplant was taking the place of the pasta, and the squash was the filling, I needed a binder.

I pulled out the container of pasta sauce, no meat, and added 10 raw eggs, mixed it up and poured it into the squash mixture, off heat.

In my large lasagna pan I placed a layer of eggplant, then some filling and repeated two more times.

The cornbread was crumbled,  little olive oil was added, and some oregano, then it was spread over the top.

Baked at 400° till the top was golden brown and the center registered 170°

Cool a little before serving.