Hell Yeah It's Vegan!

Each Fall, those of us who garden will inevitably find a few summer fruits that haven’t had a chance to ripen before it got cold. What to do with all those green tomatoes that you’ve rescued just before the first frost? Fried green tomatoes are always a simple favorite, but there’s a limit to the number of those you can eat in one sitting, so I wanted to try something new. I actually found dozens of interesting looking recipes, from relish, chutney, and jam to pasta sauce and soup. I decided to try out green tomato pie.

I kept reading these reviews raving about how so-and-so’s spouse just couldn’t tell the difference between this and apple pie, and I have to say, one of three things was going on there: either your spouse was lying, your spouse has embarrassingly undeveloped taste buds and should not be entrusted with the task of critiquing food, or you make a really messed up apple pie.

Friends, please don’t go into this expecting apple pie. You’ll be too busy looking for something that isn’t quite there and overlooking the unique qualities this pie possesses. As far as taste is concerned, it tastes kind of like . . . the Depression. I don’t mean that in a bad way. If hobo-chic can be retro hip in 2009, why can’t Depression-era eats? I’m bringing it back, really. The Depression brought us things like pie made out of nothing but sugar, crackers, and butter that “tastes just like apple pie”, as well as the classic, accidentally vegan “crazy cake” that everyone loves. Those people were geniuses.

It’s not for everyone, but if you like shoo-fly pie, transparent pie, sweet potato pie, and mincemeat, I think this will be up your alley. It’s sweet and meant as a dessert, but it also has a slightly savory edge. I think some chunks of seitan ham or bacon would turn this into an interesting pot pie. Throw in a green apple or two if you’d like.

I thought making these into miniature pies would be a cute idea, but in doing so overlooked the minor logistical issue of removing them from the giant muffin pan for serving. Unless you have actual tart pans, I’d suggest making a standard pie instead.

You can also can the filling after cooking and store it for future pies.

Green Tomato Pie

1 double pie crust

5-6 medium green tomatoes, cored (~3.5 c sliced)
½ c granulated sugar
½ c light brown sugar
¼ c cornstarch
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cloves
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp soy margarine
½ c raisins
¼ c crystallized ginger, chopped

Prepare pie crust. Place half of it in an ungreased pie tin.

In a medium pot, bring some water to a boil. Cut an “x” into the bottom of each tomato. Drop them into the boiling water for about 1 minute, then rinse in cool water. The skin will have loosened; peel it away from the “x” and discard. Slice tomatoes ¼” thick and drain off any excess juices.

Preheat oven to 425°.

In a small bowl, mix together sugars, spices, and cornstarch. Add tomatoes, sugar mixture, lemon juice and margarine to a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook until mixture has thickened and become clear.

Fold in raisins and ginger and pour filling into pie crust. Top with second layer of dough; seal and cut a few slits on top.

Bake at 425° for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° and bake for 30-40 minutes more, or until crust turns golden-brown. Cool at least 10 minutes; serve warm.

Have you made anything interesting out of green tomatoes? Share your ideas in the comments!

Tags: veganmofo 2009

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 10:39 am and is filed under Desserts, Food Preservation, Recipes, Vegan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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