Do you want to know one of the best feelings in the world?
Okay, maybe not in the world, but at least in the kitchen.
Looking at a recipe and realizing you have all of the ingredients. Every single one. Thanks to being subscribed to a CSA, I have this feeling more often than I used to. While I’d skip over recipes if they called for an ingredient I didn’t typically buy, my CSA has encouraged me to try new fruit and vegetables that aren’t part of my regular diet. Green tomatoes are just one of the examples.
I’m 1/3 of the way through the Fall CSA with Gruber Farm and still getting Summery produce. Can anyone explain this to me? I guess I’m just disappointed because it’s October. But hey, the weather was pretty warm until yesterday, right?
In the box:
- watermelon
- eggplant
- spaghetti squash
- green peppers
- yellow squash
- green beans
- sweet potatoes
- heirloom tomatoes
Goodness grief, those tomatoes were not attractive. But let me tell you, with a dash of salt and pepper, they were divine. Moments after being disappointed in getting a box half full of Summer veggies, I was slapping myself. I ate a whole tomato in about 2 minutes and started daydreaming about warmer weather. Can we rewind to May please? And not just because I was still 27.
Back to the green tomatoes. My immediate reaction was to make fried green tomatoes, or, considering this is Hungry Meets Healthy, baked green tomatoes. I just wasn’t excited about the idea. And then came the Serious Eats recipe for Green Tomato Curry with Potatoes and Garlic.
I had everything it called for. I was working at home that day. It was a no brainer.
Green Tomato Curry with Potatoes and Garlic, adapted from Serious Eats
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 lbs. green tomatoes, cores removed, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 tsp. garam masala
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
- Pour the oil into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until it is reddish brown, about a minute or so. Stir often, making sure it doesn’t burn.
- Add the potatoes, tomatoes, garam masala, salt, and turmeric. Turn heat down to medium. Stir occasionally, and cook for about 10 minutes.
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Pour in a cup of water. Scrap the pan with a wooden spoon, dislodging any browned bits. When the mixture comes to a boil, cover the skillet, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes and tomatoes are tender. Stir every few minutes or so.
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You want the final sauce to be kind of thick, so mash up a few of the potatoes and tomatoes with the wooden spoon. Turn off the heat and serve.
The only change I made to this recipe was omitting the cilantro. I like cilantro, but it just didn’t seem right for this dish to me. That’s the beauty of cooking– you can cater recipes to your palate’s desires.
The final result of this dish? Awesomeness. Seriously. Boding and I ate it for lunch and were so pleased with it. It was really hard to put enough away for Tuesday’s lunch. Every time I opened the fridge, it was like “Hey Christina, you know you want me…”
Kind of like that bag of pretzel M&Ms in my pantry. So rude!
Now if you’re unlike me and don’t have the above ingredients in your house, I suggest your get your cute behind to the store and buy them. It’s worth it. I never thought I’d use the garam masala I bought for my Spicy Chickpea & Lentil Stew, but now I want to put it on everything.
Which spice/herb did you shy away from before and now love?
