Green Tomato Pie Recipe or Vegan Mincemeat Pie

Fall in the Midwest means lots of green tomatoes. Green tomatoes are best in the fall, sweet when they have been touched by frost.  Yum!  I’m always looking for new ways to use them. The classic fried green tomatoes, relish, salsa, pickles, chutney, and yes even jam.

This year I decided to try a Mincemeat Pie recipe, also known as Green Tomato Pie, and Vegan Mincemeat Pie. It is surprisingly yummy, I think this recipe falls into that sweet  category.  I did tweak my recipe below, so enjoy and let me know if you have a version of this or if you try mine. Happy Baking!

Green Tomato Pie Recipe from Blueberries, Art and Life at end of post, I have not tried this one, but it is in the savory category and looks yummy!

Green Tomato Pie seems to be common in the South and Ozark area of the U.S, I have also seen it in North Carolina. I had not heard of it before we moved down here. It was one of those things that I passed by on every occasion that I saw it. Really? Ugh? In my mind I placed it in the zucchini recipe family, (when the zucchini crop gets out of control, people are giving them away like crazy, you discover they can be grated and put into just about anything your cooking).   When I found this recipe which is said to taste like Mincemeat pie, (which my husband loves), I though I would give it a go, and in the process use up the last of my green tomatoes.

Green Tomato Pie or Vegan Mincemeat Pie (filling can be canned or I freeze it in 4 cup containers, makes at least 6, 8 inch pies)

8 cups of cubed green tomatoes

• 8 cups of cubed apples
• 1 box of golden raisins (a pound) regular raisins OK
• 2 cups dried cranberries, or you can use dried cherries, or half of each (cranberries give a slightly tarter taste)
• 1 cup assorted dried fruit snack mix (I bought those little pkgs at The Dollar Store
• 1 orange and 2 lemons
• 1/2 to 1 cup cider vinegar or (half cider vinegar and half brandy)
• 4 cups dark brown sugar
• 2 sticks of butter (1 cup) added at the very last
• spices: 2 t cinnamon, 1 t nutmeg, 1/2 t ground black pepper, 1 t kosher salt, 1 t ginger, 1 t cloves

In a large stock pot: Place your cubed apples and green tomatoes, and spices, add the vinegar, start with 1/2 cup, cook this down until the apples are soft, about an hour. Stirring frequently. You can always add more liquid, or simmer longer if it is too soupy later.

Now zest your two lemons and orange into the pot, squeeze the liquid out of these and add.

Add the raisins, cranberries, and rest of any dried fruit you want to put in (snack mix), now add the brown sugar.

Simmer for another two hours, stirring frequently.  If it looks too dry add more vinegar or brandy. Too runny? Keep simmering awhile.

At the end of 3 hours or so, your house will smell yummy, give the filling a taste and see what you think. Not sweet enough? Add some more dried fruit (raisins)

Now you can freeze this, I put it in those plastic 4 cup containers, or can it up. Makes enough for at least 6 pies, depends on the size of your added fruits.

I like to put it in a regular crust, if in a hurry I use Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, if I make a crust I use the recipe on the Crisco sticks.  But if you want to go all out southern style try this cornmeal crust!

Make some slits in your crust and cover the edges with foil, Bake in a 425 degree oven for 30 min with the crust covered then remove and bake until crust is browned.

Cornmeal Crust (makes enough for 8 inch pie with a top)

• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1/3 c cornmeal
• 1/4 c. white sugar
• 2 sticks butter
• approx. 2-8 T (depending on the weather) cold apple juice or cider, can also use water or vodka

Add all dry ingredients into mixing bowl, cut in butter, add cold liquid by the tablespoon until you can squeeze into a ball, spilt in two and roll out.

Edisto Tomato Pie (Edisto is in Low Country in South Carolina)

1 (9-inch) deep dish pie shell, prebaked at 375 degrees for 10 minutes

5 large, ripe tomatoes, peeled and thickly sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3 teaspoons dried basil

garlic powder to taste

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 1/4 cups grated cheddar cheese

• Combine salt, pepper, basic and garlic powder

• Layer tomatoes in pie shell, sprinkling each layer with salt/herb mix

• Combine mayonnaise and cheese; spread over tomatoes

• Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.   Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

• May add dried, minced onion or sautéed fresh onion on top of tomatoes. 

Also good lightly sprinkled with bacon bits on last tomato layer and on top of cheese.

Pattern for knitted cherry pie

On the knitting related scene, want a low calorie piece of pie? Travel over to Pieknits! Yummy and no calories, knitted pies? Why not? Pieknits has an assortment of patterns available on her blog! (free ones at end of list!)

Enjoy!!