Green Tomato Tartines

Labor Day weekend, and I used it to do what I do best: cook in bulk and prepare for the week ahead. Three loads of laundry, two grocery runs, and a Sunday afternoon that I spent entirely in the kitchen making freezer meals because the fall schedule is about to swallow us whole and the only defense is a full freezer.

I made ten freezer meals in one afternoon: three tater tot casseroles, two bags of sloppy joe mixture, two bags of chili, two trays of enchiladas, and one bag of chicken and dumplings. Total cost: about seventy dollars. Total meals: approximately thirty dinners for a family of six. That is less than two-fifty per meal. I wrote a blog post about it while the enchiladas were freezing and it got more shares in one day than anything I have written, because freezer meals are the holy grail for working parents and I just gave them the map.

The key to freezer cooking is organization. You buy your proteins and vegetables in bulk. You brown all the ground beef at once, eight pounds at a time. You make all the sauces at once. You portion, you label, you freeze. It takes four hours of focused work and saves forty hours of weeknight panic. It is the best trade I have ever made, and I have been making it for years.

Dave grilled brats for the actual Labor Day meal because the grill does not know it is fall yet and Dave is going to keep grilling until snow covers the grill or the propane runs out, whichever comes first. I made German potato salad again because it is the right potato salad for brats and I will not be swayed on this. Gayle came over and ate one brat and two servings of potato salad and said it was satisfactory, which I am starting to think is the only word in Gayle vocabulary for food that she loves.

The garden is slowing down. The tomatoes are still producing but the peppers are winding down and the lettuce bolted in the August heat and is now bitter and done. I pulled up the lettuce plants and composted them and Josie cried, which I expected, because Josie treats every plant like a pet and every harvest like a funeral. We will plant again next spring, I told her. She said it will not be the same. She is right. It will not be the same. It will be better, because gardens teach you that endings are also beginnings, and Josie is learning that, one tomato at a time.

After pulling up the last of the lettuce and watching the peppers wind down, I could not let those stubborn green tomatoes go to waste — they were still hanging on, and so was I. These Green Tomato Tartines are exactly the kind of recipe that makes the end of the garden feel less like a loss and more like a last gift. It’s the right thing to make when you’re standing in the kitchen still a little sentimental about pulled-up plants, with a bowl of green tomatoes on the counter and a loaf of good bread nearby.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 thick slices crusty bread (sourdough or country loaf)
2 medium green tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic, halved
1/2 cup ricotta or fresh goat cheese
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and black pepper to taste
Red pepper flakes, optional
Fresh basil or arugula for topping

Instructions

Toast the bread. Brush each bread slice with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Broil on high for 2—3 minutes per side until golden and crisp. Remove from oven and immediately rub the cut side of the garlic clove across the surface of each slice.
Cook the green tomatoes. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green tomato slices in a single layer, season with salt and pepper, and cook 3—4 minutes per side until lightly browned and just softened. Remove from heat.
Prepare the cheese spread. In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta (or goat cheese), thyme, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt until smooth and combined.
Assemble the tartines. Spread a generous layer of the herbed cheese onto each toasted bread slice. Layer the cooked green tomato slices on top, overlapping slightly.
Finish and serve. Top with fresh basil or a small handful of arugula, a pinch of red pepper flakes if using, and a final drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately while the bread is still warm and crisp.

Nutrition (per serving)

Green Tomato Tartines — Making the Most of the Last Days of the Garden