Green tomato pie… every now and then it has popped up on my radar, but I’ve never met anyone who’s actually made or eaten one. Recipes I had seen treated it much like an apple pie—interesting. We had our first frost around the last week of October, so I tore all the tomato plants out of our garden and saved the unripened tomatoes to try my hand at green tomato pie.

I made this on Halloween… it seemed appropriate.

My grandpa recently became intrigued by my pie-making endeavors, and he sent me a packet of recipes, including one for green tomato pie. Like the other recipes I’d come across, this one treated the tomatoes much like apples. And, because my grandpa hates cinnamon, I left the cinnamon out in his honor. (It turns out that it really needs it. Don’t skip the cinnamon. Sorry, Grandpa.)

The results: it’s an unusual pie, to be sure. I preferred it best chilled, and it was intriguing enough to keep me coming back for another slice each day, just to allow my palate to figure it out. It tastes much like apple pie on the front end, just like you’d expect. And then, at the very tail end of the flavor, you get a hint of something savory with the distinct kick of tomato. This isn’t a pie that I am likely to make on a regular basis (especially because I only got The Husband* to try one bite), but let me tell you: it is certainly one of the most fascinating pies I have ever made. If you’re a traditionalist, this might be a pie to skip. If you have an adventurous culinary streak in you, I’d recommend trying this one—it’s worth making at least once.

Green Tomato pie

Green Tomato Pie (made 10/31/15)

Pie Crust:
2 c. flour (it might be interesting to substitute ½ c. cornmeal for ½ c. of the flour, but I haven’t had a chance to try it)
pinch of kosher salt
2/3 c. shortening
ice water

Filling:
½ c. light brown sugar
½ c. white sugar
6 Tbsp. flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
4 c. finely chopped green tomatoes
2 Tbsp. butter, cut in slices
2 Tbsp. heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Assemble the piecrust: Combine the salt and flour together in a small mixing bowl. Add the shortening and mix with a pastry blender or your fingers until you have a bowl of pea-sized crumbles. Add a scant ½ cup of ice-cold water (not the ice cubes) to the mixture. Mix with pastry blender or fingers until the mixture holds together in one ball, adding additional ice water a tablespoon at a time as needed, but being careful not to add too much water. Roll half the pie dough into a circle approximately 11” in diameter. Place in a 9” pie plan.

For the filling: In a large bowl, mix together all the remaining ingredients except the butter. Pour the mixture into the bottom piecrust, then arrange the butter slices on top of the filling.

Roll the remaining pie dough into a circle approximately 10” in diameter. With fingers dipped into cold water, wet the edges of the bottom crust. Place the top crust on and seal well, crimping the edges decoratively. Cut small slits into the upper crust to create vents.

Bake the pie at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees, and continue to bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly (35-40 minutes). Remove and cool on a wire rack. Serve chilled with whipped cream.

* I asked The Husband what moniker he preferred for this blog, and he said that he would like to be referred to as “The Hu$band.” Nope.