Honey Roasted Springtime

My friend Janet has a MASSIVE rhubarb patch that
is decades old and still produces year after year.

If you grew up in the Midwest, like I did, chances are you have memories of Gramma's house, with a big garden in the backyard, many times an apple tree or some other fruit tree, and way in the back of the yard, the ever popular rhubarb patch. It seems to have gone the way of the dodo- not many people are growing rhubarb patches anymore, and that's really sad. This perennial treat is perfect in sweet or savory recipes and makes such a striking display of giant leaves and huge spikes of teeny flower buds. I suppose the suburbanites don't want to dig up a section of their perfectly sodded lawns but even if you don't eat it, it's still a gorgeous plant to have around. Build a flower bed around it, it's really lovely. Back to when I was a kid- everyone and I mean everyone had rhubarb in the backyard. Some of those plants/clumps were decades old. Strawberry rhubarb pie was a very popular dessert when I was growing up, along with rhubarb crisps, crunches, cobblers- you name it. I would imagine simple economics had a lot to do with the popularity of rhubarb back then- thrifty housewives were making good use of what was available in her own backyard.

David Tallman has two different varieties of rhubarb in
his northern Iowa rhubarb patch.

Tastes change over the years and so do lifestyles. People didn't garden like our parents and grandparents did. They didn't have to. Giant supermarkets sprang up all over with huge produce departments that took all the work out of having fresh fruits and vegetables. People embraced this convenience, and the strawberry patches, raspberry bushes, rhubarb patches, apple trees, and vegetable gardens slowly disappeared from our little landscapes.

This spring I was gifted a nice bagful of rhubarb from my very good friends Paul and Jennifer Quick. You might remember Paul from Quick's Hot Spice- he is my Pepper Professor and makes this crazy delicious spice blend. They have a beautiful backyard garden with a large clump of rhubarb and they always give me as much as I want. 

Like fashion, food trends have their cycles and rhubarb is no different. As chefs and food industry insiders began focusing more on locally grown foods and less on what they can have delivered from far away, foods like rhubarb started to appear on menus and in recipes, in cookbooks and magazines, all over again. Kitchen gardens planted with lots of delicious things like herbs, lettuces, radishes, beans and rhubarb as the anchor are popping up all over. Home cooks and restaurant chefs alike are planting gardens to have access to the freshest ingredients possible. I hope this trend continues for many years to come- I've seen so many of my favorite "old" foods come back in style and on plates and I'm loving it. Rhubarb has always been a favorite of mine. It's not a true fruit, but it's most often used as one with some added sweetener to tackle the puckering tartness. Chefs are coming up with all sorts of inventive ways to use rhubarb. Soups, slaws, sauces and even salads get a puckery kick from this leafy plant. I'm most likely to use rhubarb in a pie, but I thought why not try something just a little different this spring, and ROAST the rhubarb. A little drizzle of honey brings the sweet and orange zest adds a bright citrus pop. Hibiscus joins the party as a very unexpected guest and brings a fruity and floral tea-like note to the rhubarb. The key to success with roasted rhubarb is not to OVER roast it. You want the rhubarb to retain its shape and not cook into a watery soft blob. Check your rhubarb at 15 minutes, it should be JUST tender but not mushy. If it's still a bit crunchy keep checking every couple minutes. Rhubarb contains a lot of water and can go from crunchy to soft very quickly. Since we will be using our rhubarb in a baked tart, I'm going to under-roast it a bit to keep some crunchiness so it will hold its shape.

Honey Hibiscus Roasted Rhubarb

3 cups red rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2-3 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons orange juice

zest of one orange
hibiscus petals, crushed, or hibiscus powder

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spread the rhubarb pieces onto a rimmed baking sheet, lined with foil. Stir the honey, the zest and orange juice in a small bowl, mixing in some of the hibiscus to taste. Drizzle the honey mixture evenly over the rhubarb. 

Place in oven and roast for 15-30 minutes. You want the rhubarb to be barely tender but still hold its shape. Drizzle with additional orange juice if needed.

Now that we have this beautiful roasted rhubarb, what are we going to do with it? Make tarts of course! Now you can make any size tart you like. I am going to make individual tarts this time. Don't worry if you don't have individual tart pans. Most people don't have a bunch of fancy miniature tart pans sitting around but it's EASY to find a dozen wide mouth canning jar lids! They are cheap, and the perfect size. 

For the filling I decided to go with the traditional French pastry filling frangipane. Made with ground almonds or almond flour, this creamy filling has a delicate almond flavor and goes well with almost any fruit or nut combo. I love it with fresh red raspberries and ripe pears. It just seemed natural to pair it with the fragrant hibiscus and honey roasted rhubarb. I'm using almond flour from Trader Joe's that is 100% almonds. No fillers or sweeteners or additives. That's it. It was perfect.

Frangipane 

1 cup almond flour

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

big pinch of salt

Use a mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy and light. Add the almond flour and mix in completely, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl often. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until well incorporated.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside. 

Roll out pie pastry (purchased or homemade) and cut out circles about one half inch larger around than the rings. Fit the pastry into mini tart pans or canning rings with the lids inside. Fill generously with the frangipane. Top with the rhubarb, arranged in a decorative pattern. 

Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a rack. Remove the tarts from the rings or tart pans to serve. Serve topped with whipped cream if desired.

Guys, these were delicious little bites of heaven. The flaky crust cradles the creamy almond filling that isn't overly sweet. The roasted rhubarb has the teeniest hint of honey, a touch of hibiscus and orange flavors. It's a great combination and a new and unique way to add rhubarb to your dessert menu. Give these a try with red raspberries or dark sweet pitted cherries too.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Purple? Yes, purple. Purple sweet potatoes.

Sometimes the internet can be a bad thing. A bad influence. An enabler. Like Instagram for example. Of course I follow a number of food bloggers, restaurants, stores, and food companies. You have to, if you want to stay on trend. Frieda's Specialty Produce is one of the companies that I follow and love seeing all the interesting and unique kinds of produce they offer. Many of these fruits and vegetables are tropical and cannot be grown here in Iowa, and many more are rare or a fun hybrid of traditional vegetables. I was minding my business one evening, posting silly memes about rock stars and food, tossing some recipe ideas around in my head when Frieda's posted something that immediately caught my eye. Sweet potatoes. Ok, sure, I like sweet potatoes. Love them baked like a baked potato and they are a must have with holiday turkey. These ones though......these ones were........PURPLE!

Yes, purple! Bright Minnesota Vikings purple, and unlike many other purple hybrid vegetables, these beauties do not lose their color when cooked. Think about this for a minute, we have such colorful vegetables already, with all shades of greens, yellow, orange, red, tomatoes in a rainbow of colors, now we're adding a deep gorgeous purple to the mix? Yes!!!!

We eat with our eyes, as they say, so I didn't want to hide these guys under an ocean of marshmallow. I wanted to showcase not only the color but the nutrition and healthy fiber sweet potatoes provide. I wanted these potatoes to be front and center in whatever I made. First things first though, I have to actually find them and get my hands on a bag. This is not always an easy task. Des Moines is a big city, and we have big big grocery stores with all kinds of amazing produce but sometimes I miss out on something really wonderful, like the pink sweet corn some friends were able to snag last summer. By the time I got to the store- all sold out. The amazing folks at Frieda's made sure I didn't miss out. They reached out to me via Instagram and helped me track down a couple different locations in Des Moines where I'd be able to find the Stokes Purple Sweet Potato, and after work, I headed over to Trader Joe's and incredibly enough, got the LAST bag in the display. I went home with my 3 pounds of playthings and began to narrow down my recipe options.

Like I said, I did not want to treat these guys like an everyday sweet potato. I can do that, well, every day really, so I wanted to use them in a creative way. I love roasting vegetables, it brings out such a different flavor and texture, especially with sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are loaded with good things too, B vitamins, and loads of beta carotene which is so so good for us! I decided to cut up one or two, give them a little roast in the oven, and toss them with other bright fresh vegetables in a salad, lightly dressed with a honey vinaigrette to bring out the sweetness. Here is my unique take on salad.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Kale Salad Bowl

1 or 2 purple sweet potatoes
2-3 cups baby kale
2-3 cups baby spinach

6 scallions
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted slightly
Honey Dijon Vinaigrette
olive oil
salt and pepper

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch cubes. Toss in a bowl with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread out onto foil lined baking sheet that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Roast the sweet potatoes at 400 15-25 minutes until tender. Allow to cool slightly.

Toss the baby kale and spinach together in a large bowl. Add the scallions and almonds. Toss with some of the vinaigrette. Add potato cubes and toss again.

Easy Honey Vinaigrette

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tb Dijon mustard

2 tb balsamic vinegar

2 tb honey

salt and pepper

Shake together in a jar until thoroughly emulsified.

But the REAL fun came when dreaming up ways to use the sweet potatoes in a very delicious way. I knew I just had to figure out a way to use this tasty tuber in a sweet recipe, a dessert of some kind. There were so many good options too- pudding, mousse, ice cream and sweet potato pie. If you have never had sweet potato pie, you simply must try it. It's a lot like pumpkin pie but the potatoes are so rich and smooth and the spices make the pie so warm and inviting. All you need a simple crown of whipped cream and you have pie perfection. Now, let's make it purple!

Crazy Purple Sweet Potato Pie

1 1/2 lb purple sweet potatoes
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup half and half
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
small pinch ground cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
one pastry shell

Bake the potatoes in a 400 degree oven until tender, 45-60 minutes. Allow to cool until cool enough to handle. Slip off the skins.

While potatoes are cooking, line a pie plate with pastry. Trim and crimp a tall edge. Cover and set aside in a cool place. I popped mine in the fridge.

Place the sweet potatoes in a bowl. Use a fork to break up and mash the potatoes, and beat in the softened butter until completely mixed in. Mix in all remaining ingredients.

Pour into pastry lined pie plate. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. You may need to cover the edge of the pastry halfway through baking time to prevent burning. Use foil or a pie protector if you have one. Cool completely and serve with whipped cream.

I used a small pie plate for mine, because we are a small household, and I had a little filling leftover so I baked that in a custard cup alongside. Baking in cups is a great gluten free option, too, if you omit the crust and spray well with cooking spray. Just look at the color of that filling! It tastes like autumn but looks like a pop of summer color.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Eat the World- Pitta Con Sarde

The City of Des Moines has a deep history of Italian traditions and deep Italian roots. As a child growing up on the city's south side my family was the only family in the neighborhood that wasn't Italian- I'm not kidding!! The elderly couple who lived next door were known to me as Gramma and Grampa Fazio and believe me Gramma shared her fantastic food and baked treats with us all the time. Just a few miles away from my neighborhood was an area of the city known as Little Italy, and here many Italian families settled, opened restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries and celebrated their heritage.

The Italian American Festival was a big event in the community. In those days the festival was held in Columbus Park and featured rides, Italian food, bocce tournaments, traditional music and entertainment, games and fellowship with Italian and non-Italians alike. During my junior high years, the Italian Festival was a big big big event every summer. My best friend Liz and I would spend hours doing our hair, nails, makeup, trying on outfits and then pile in the car with either set of parents for a ride to the festival, where we would surely run into whatever guys we had our eyes on. Back then we didn't really appreciate the significance of the festival or the traditions its celebrated but it left a lasting memory.

Man of the businesses of those days have come and gone, and Little Italy no longer is a primarily Italian part of the city. The Italian American Festival has long since moved to new grounds but a few reminders of those days remain- like Graziano Brothers, an Italian specialty store known for its incredible sausage, fabulous breads, olives and seasonings. Just steps away from Graziano Brothers is Tumea and Sons, a family owned Italian restaurant that has been around as long as I can remember. 

Fast forward to today and The Chef and I were discussing what to cook. Now that's often a topic of conversation at our house- with two very accomplished cooks we usually have to have a plan. So The Chef was talking about a spicy roll his dad used to buy from Graziano Brothers. He kept calling them "pitagazardi" and neither of us could find any recipe for such an item. The Chef put the appeal on social media and before long our friend George, a well known local chef and food historian, gave us the name- Pitta Con Sarde. A quick call to Graziano's to see if they had any left another wrinkle in the plan- they don't actually make them, they are made at Tumea and Sons and occasionally sold at the store. Sigh. We won't be going to Graziano's to buy goodies today. Can we make these ourselves??

The Chef described in detail what the rolls were like, and even though Google didn't really help at all, I knew I'd be able to come up with a very close version. I was totally relying on his description because I have never had these before- never heard of them before. Amazingly enough we had everything we needed so I set about recreating the rolls The Chef is craving, the pitta con sarde.

As a baker, making a yeast dough is right up my alley so the real challenge was going to be the filling. The Chef knew it was deep red and spicy and he knew there were anchovies in it. We had a couple red bell peppers in the veggie drawer so they went over the open flame on the stovetop to roast and char. The bread dough came together quickly and easily and rose beautifully in the warm kitchen- it was also canning day. If you have ever made homemade cinnamon rolls, you know how to rolls these guys. The dough was soft and not a bit sticky so it rolled out great and rolled up like a dream. Here is the recipe.

Pitta Con Sarde

Dough-

2 1/4 cups flour

1 packet yeast

1 tsp flour

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tb olive oil

3/4 cup barely warm water

additional olive oil

Filling-

2 red bell peppers or equivalent amount of canned roasted red pepper, drained and patted dry

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 cloves fresh garlic

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

2-3 tablespoons crushed red pepper

1 tb Italian seasoning

2 tb anchovy paste OR a small jar anchovies*

1 tb olive oil

* I used an entire small jar of anchovies- think of the tiny jars of jam or mustard that come in gift baskets- that size.

To make the dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer whisk together the flour, salt, Parmesan cheese and yeast. Place on the mixer and fix the dough hook. Add the oil to the bowl, followed by the warm water. Let the dough hook mix the dough until it forms a ball. Leaving the dough hook in place, cover with plastic and let the dough rest 15 minutes or so. Then using the dough hook, knead the dough a good 7 or 8 minutes until smooth and pliable and comes off the hook easily. Place the dough in an oiled bowl turn to coat, then cover and let rise about and hour and a half until doubled in size.

While the dough is rising, make the filling. Roast the peppers over an open flame until charred (or under the broiler), then cool and peel, remove seeds.

I had a red bell pepper and a red and orange striped Enjoya
bell pepper. The colors are so gorgeous.

In the work bowl of a food processor combine all filling ingredients and puree. Set aside for later.

After the dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Gently roll out into a rectangular shape approximately 10x13 or so. Spread the filling evenly over the dough leaving 1/2 inch border on one long edge. Begin rolling up and continue, like cinnamon rolls, pinching the edges to seal.

Slice the dough and place in oiled baking pans. I used 8 inch square pans, you can use round if you like. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise about an hour.

Brush with melted butter, if desired. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Brush again with melted butter and serve.

Now, as I've said, I have never had these rolls before so I can't compare with the ones made at Tumea and Sons, but The Chef proclaimed them "so @#$%^&* good" so I take that as a compliment. I loved the tender yeasty bread dough, the crispy bottom and the soft spicy filling. The red pepper makes it's presence known, as does that crushed red pepper. The paprika adds a smoky sweetness and the anchovy, like always, is not really something you can taste- no fishy taste at all- but the savory salty richness is in the forefront.

Iowa Sweet Corn Gets Some Latin Lovin'

Photo from Iowa On A Plate

Here in Iowa we know a thing or two about sweet corn. How to grow it, cook it, sell it. We celebrate sweet corn with annual festivals devoted to this tasty summer treat. At the State Fair roasted ears of corn are gobbled up by hungry fairgoers by the ton. Growing up in Iowa it wasn't unusual to have a dinner of just a huge pot of freshly cooked sweet corn, dressed up with only butter and salt. Oh my yum. Much loved by people all over, sweet corn is often used in non-traditional foods such as sweet corn sodas and ice cream, even candy. 

Driving around Iowa you will see acre after acre of corn. This corn is used for all sorts of things- animal feed, food, fuel production, but it's not sweet corn. Iowa produces thousands of acres of sweet corn annually. There are hundreds of different cultivars, some heirloom and some hybrids. Some of the heirlooms are hundreds of years olds, as sweet corn was first identified in the late 1700s. Peaches and Cream is a very popular variety around Iowa, as is Silver Queen, and this year I have even seen pink sweet corn in the stores. 

Here is a fun fact: Did you know there is one strand of silk for every kernel on the ear of corn? 

Laura Duffield Beigger makes
a spicy corn stock with jalapeno

So sweet corn. While so many of us love our corn drenched in butter and salt, corn is getting some gourmet treatment these days. Far far away from Iowa, different cultures and different cuisines use our beloved sweet corn in many interesting and delicious dishes. Many Latin dishes, for example, use corn, ground, as flour and kernels. Mexican street corn is often roasted in the husks, and then peeled back and sprinkled with seasonings and queso fresco or cojita before serving. Corn is roasted and charred and cut off the cobs to toss in salads and salsas. Corn cobs get recycled into corn cob jelly and corn stock for delicious soups and sauces. My friend Laura Biegger recently made corn stock with some jalapeno for kick- I think this would be a fantastic base to build an awesome seafood chowder. Let's take a look at a couple unique ways to use Iowa sweet corn in recipes, this time with a Latin twist.

Up first is a fantastic recipe from local restaurateur George Formaro. His Malo restaurant in Des Moines is an upscale Latin spot in the heart of downtown and brings a fresh and unique perspective to Mexican and South American dishes. We have visited Malo a couple times, you might remember. Their Corn Queso is a very special twist on a classic Mexican snack and brings the much loved fresh Iowa sweet corn into the spotlight. While Malo uses a locally sourced frozen corn, you could easily substitute freshly cut sweet corn as a replacement. They graciously shared this recipe on their Facebook page a while back.

Malo's Corn Queso

1 lb easy melting cheese such as Queso Seguro or Velveeta

4 cups Iowa Choice Harvest frozen sweet corn

1 cup water

1 lime, juice and zest

1 tbs salt

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

3 tbs crumbled Cojita cheese, queso fresco is a suitable alternative

Using a food processor, puree the corn with the water until completely smooth. Heat the olive oil in saucepot and add pureed corn. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Allow mixture to simmer and reduce to a creamy consistency. 

Once a light pudding texture is reached, combine with salt, lime juice and zest and puree/process to eliminate any possible lumps. 

Melt the cheese over low heat until smooth. Fold in the corn mixture. Pour into a heat resistant serving bowl and top with crumbled Cojita cheese. Broil until the Cojita is browned and golden. Serve with tortilla chips. 

At Malo they use the corn pudding mixture in other dishes, and as a sauce for crab cakes.

Another popular use for fresh corn is salsa. The old days of nothing but tomato-based salsa are long over. Veggies and fruits of all kinds end up in salsa, sweet and savory alike. While I do love a good traditional salsa I'm a huge fan of corn salsa and black bean salsa. Combine the two and I'm in heaven! This salsa is easy to whip up for a party and if you had a lot of leftovers, you could pop it in the freezer for longer storage. I love it with chips and as a condiment for other foods, like enchilada, tacos and so on.

Deb Campbell's beautiful Iowa sweet corn, ready for the pot

Roasted Fresh Sweet Corn and Black Bean Salsa

2 ears fresh corn

olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped sweet bell pepper (I use a combo of colors)

1-2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

fresh Jalapeno pepper to taste*

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

zest of one lime

pinch of salt and pepper

dash of cumin, if desired

* I start with one Jalapeno and taste for heat. I also sometimes use any other hot pepper I might have around, including some of the super hots. Do so with caution!

Shuck the corn and wash well, removing all the silks. Rub the corn with a small bit of olive oil and roast the ears over a hot grill or under the broiler until some of the kernels are caramelized and golden. Set aside to cool. 

When cool enough to handle, slice the corn from the cobs and place in a bowl. Toss with all remaining ingredients. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper as needed. This salsa is also delicious with a diced avocado added. and piled in a taco salad. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Hey, I thought the gardening season was over !!!

But apparently not !!!

Sure, we have had several killing frosts and my own garden is long long gone. MY once proud castor bean plant looks like a big pole with cooked spinach draped all over it. Kinda gross actually.

But as always, with the end of the season comes an abundance of green tomatoes, and while I personally did not have an abundance from my own garden, my friends sure do, and they are giving me tomatoes by the box full. Of course,all these green tomatoes mean I have been devoting alot of research time into recipes for green tomatoes- and besides the obvious, pickled green tomatoes, which I don't even know if we'll like, we have the Tomolive Experiment still going, but the weird thing about nature and tomatoes is this: if you spend too much time worrying about what to do with GREEN tomatoes, they eventually change into RED tomatoes.

Which is where I'm at today. These tomatoes aren't your fancy hybrids, no Beefsteak or Early Girl or anything like that in there. These are all the golf ball size tomatoes you get when you leave a seed or two behind over the winter and get 25 volunteer plants that you just don't have the heart to pull. They revert back to their original form instead of the hybrid you had last summer. Which makes no difference to me, a tomato is a tomato to me, and I'll gladly take them off your hands.

But what to do with many pounds of smallish tomatoes, without dealing with peeling and all that mess? Easy !! Wash, cut in half, toss with the littlest bit of olive oil and salt and ROAST them to release the juice, heat the tomatoes and then can them, which is exactly what I did.

I'm going to guess at this point I had about 5-6 lbs of small tomatoes, mostly red golf ball size with a few small yellow pears and tiny yellow teardrop tomatoes in there. I gave them a quick bath in the sink, sorted out a small handful of yucky ones and then set aside two deep baking sheets, with a little drizzle of oil on them.

With the oven heating to 425 degrees I started cutting the tomatoes in half and tossing them on the sheets, ending up with two generously full baking sheets of beautiful tomatoes. I gave each pan a nice grind or two of sea salt and put them in the oven with the rack in the upper third and roasted them about 15 minutes and that temp then turned it down to 325 and let them go another half hour or so while I readied everything else.

Once the tomatoes were roasted and juices were released I dumped them into a big bowl and added my personal Italian seasoning mixture- a generous tablespoon or two of basil, crushed, palmfull of parsley, crushed, thyme, BIG pinch of oregano, and garlic powder.

Mixed it all up and filled 7 pint jars full. I put them in the boiling water bath for 40 minutes and they came out looking perfect. The tomatoes were so juicy I didn't have to add any additional water to the jars.

They were so successful, I was only able to store 5 of the 7 pints. 2 jars were opened the next day by The Chef and went into a pot of pasta sauce. But this is not the end of the story I hope. MY friend still has a LARGE stockpile of green tomatoes. And even though I really want to try some green tomato mincemeat, I have a feeling I an going to be doing plenty more roasted tomatoes with Italian herbs to get us through the winter.