Tomatoes
Green Tomato Bread
2/3 cup each: raisins, boiling water
6 medium green tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeds discarded, and cut into chunks
2 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cups vegetable shortening
4 eggs, beaten
3 1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon each: cinnamon, ground cloves
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Soak raisins in boiling water; set aside to cool. Puree tomato chunks in a blender, 1 cup at a time; you should have 2 cups of pulp. Set aside.
Beat sugar and shortening until fluffy in a large bowl with mixer on medium-high speed. Add eggs, the 2 cups of the tomato pulp, raisins and soaking water; beat well.
Combine flour, nuts, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and ground cloves in a separate large bowl. Add flour-nut mixture, 1 cup at a time, to the tomato mixture, stirring well after each addition.
Divide batter between two greased 9x5-inch loaf pans. Bake until a tester inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, about 1 hour, 10 minutes.
Serves 20.
From “Chicago Tribune,” September 15, 2004, adapted from “52 Great Green Tomato Recipes,” by Phyllis Hobson.