Green Tomato - Apple Crisp

Yes, you read that right.   Green tomatoes.

Try not to think about it too hard.

We have loads of green tomatoes and I hate to let them freeze on the vine but I don't have the room to pull up the vines and hang them until the tomatoes turn red.

I needed another idea. 

I'd heard rumors of a terrific green tomato mincemeat recipe and I wanted to use my abundance of green tomatoes for that.   So, we made some regular mincemeat bars with a jar of canned mincemeat to see if the kids would like mincemeat at all.

Um.   No.

Scratch the green tomato mincemeat.

But it did get me to thinking about spicy apples and green tomatoes together.    I wondered if an apple pie filling would have enough spice to trick young tastebuds into thinking green tomatoes were apples.

It worked.   This really does taste just like regular old apple crisp.

Try it.   Do it when no one else is around.    Don't tell anyone what's in it.   They'll love it.   My kids loved it and they knew about the tomatoes.

Green Tomato - Apple Crisp

Filling

• 1/4 cup butter
• 5 small apples
• 5 green tomatoes about the same size as the apples
• 1 1/2 cups sugar [brown or white or a combination of the two]
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 T lemon juice

Melt the butter in a pan and add the rest of the ingredients.  Cook until everything is soft and the liquid starts to evaporate some.    Let it get as thick as you want.  Pour into greased 8x8 inch pan.

Topping:

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup oats

Blend all ingredients except the oats with a pastry blender to combine well.   Add oats.  Stir well.    Sprinkle over hot apple filling.

Bake at 400 degrees until topping is brown.