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Green Light

A new use for unripe tomatoes

When faced with unripe (aka green) tomatoes, many cooks reach for the deep fryer. But at Portland, Oregon's new Irving Street Kitchen, chef Sarah Schafer offers a new option for green tomatoes by turning them into a bright, tangy and ever-so-spicy chutney that celebrates--and extends--their season. This chutney can complement both savory and sweet dishes; serve it as a spread for buttermilk biscuits or as a condiment for grilled leg of lamb. Or borrow from Schafer's own playbook and use it as colorful addition to your next cheese plate.

Green-Tomato Chutney

Recipe adapted from Sarah Schafer, Irving Street Kitchen, Portland, Oregon

Yield: About 2 cups

  • INGREDIENTS

    • 1 herb sachet (consisting of 1 bay leaf, 1 thyme sprig, 3 cardamom pods and ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds tied together in a square of cheesecloth)

    1 cup Champagne vinegar

    1 cup white wine

    1 cup water

    ½ cup sugar

    2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

    2 tablespoons minced shallot

    1 tablespoon minced ginger

    1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper (seeds optional)

    1 teaspoon minced garlic

    4 cups green (unripe) tomatoes--peeled, cored and diced

    1 teaspoon mustard powder

    ½ teaspoon cayenne

    2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced

    Salt

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small saucepan, combine the herb sachet with the vinegar, white wine, water and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until syrupy and reduced by two-thirds, about 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Add the shallot, ginger, jalapeño and garlic and cook over medium heat until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the syrup with the sachet. Cover the saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Stir in the mustard powder and cayenne. Cover the saucepan and continue cooking over medium-low heat until the tomatoes are tender, about 10 minutes longer. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Discard the sachet.

3. In a medium skillet, heat the remaining teaspoon of olive oil. Cook the red peppers, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes. Fold the peppers into the chutney. Season with salt, transfer to a lidded container and let cool to room temperature before using.

Note: The chutney can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
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