It’s Easy Being Green with Green Tomato Pie

By: The Local Palate

Copy to clipboard

A late-harvest fruit transformed into a delicious green tomato pie.

I love fall. I am not sure if this is because I was born in November, or because I, like many of you, am ready for the cool, crisp respite it brings after a sweltering Mississippi summer. All I know is that once the temperature dips down into the 50s, I like firing up the oven to start baking and braising.

One of my absolute favorite things to bake is a green tomato pie. Green tomato what, you ask? Yes, you read it right: green tomato pie. Let me tell you: Those fall green tomatoes are really good for baking. Unlike their summer predecessors, they don’t have much of a chance to ripen and end up in a BLT or a tomato-mayo sandwich. I was not privy to the absolute deliciousness of a green tomato pie until my dear friend EJ made one for my wife, Teresa, and me when she came for a visit. The recipe is originally from her father’s family, and he very graciously agreed to allow me to use it in my debut cookbook, I Am From Here. I want to share it with you in the hopes that it will become a staple in your fall kitchen and that y’all will continue to spread the gospel of Mr. Bunzendahl’s Green Tomato Pie.

Get the Recipe

recipe

yields

Serves 6 to 8

ingredients

3 cups chopped green tomatoes
1½ cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
6 tablespoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons lemon zest
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
2 rounds premade pie dough
3 tablespoons butter, cut into pats

steps

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together green tomatoes, sugar, flour,
cornstarch, lemon juice, zest, spices, and salt.
Place one round of pie dough into a 9-inch pie plate, pressing it into the surface. Pour tomato
mixture into crust. Top filling with pats of butter. Cover with second round of dough and seal at
the edges. Cut 3 to 4 vent slits into dough and bake pie for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350
degrees and bake for 30 more minutes.
Remove pie from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting into it.