Savory Sunday: Green Tomato and Corn Soup

Guest post by Shelby Smith

Got any late ripening tomatoes that just won’t turn red before the cold weather sets in? No, we are not going to make fried green tomatoes, but we are making Green Tomato and Corn Soup. This soup is a spicy, healthy, and comforting alternative way to use up your leftover tomatoes.

            Any variety of tomatoes can be used for this recipe. 'Sun Gold’ yellow cherry tomaties are small and sweet and a couple of meatier 'Beef Steak' tomatoes can help make a bigger serving size and more robust flavor. This recipe was inspired by one at allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

·         1 medium onion chopped.

·         1 large clove of garlic minced.

·         1 large green tomato cubed or 1 cup of quartered green 'Sun Gold' tomatoes.

·         1 cup of whole kennel corn.

·         1 small 'Fish' pepper minced (other hot pepper varieties may be used).

·         1 tsp. of chili powder.

·         7 cups of vegetable stock.

·         1 tbsp. of butter or oil.

·         Pinch of Herbes de Provence.

·         Salt and Pepper to taste.

Directions

·         In a medium pot, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil on medium heat until soft.

·         Add the tomatoes, corn, chili powder, Herbes de Provence, hot pepper, and simmer for 5 minutes.

·         Add your stock, salt, and black pepper to taste. Simmer until the tomatoes are soft and everything is cooked through.

The soup should leave you nice and warm inside. It can be served with a cool salad and a nice crusty bread. This is an easy enough soup that can be made on the stove top or crock pot. Also, this a versatile base for chili or by adding some crab meat and Old Bay seasoning you can make Maryland Crab soup. Green tomatoes should never be wasted because they haven’t ripened yet. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things.

"Savory Sunday" is a new weekly blog series with seasonal recipes from the garden.

About the Author:

Shelby Smith is a senior double major in multi-platform journalism and film studies at the University of Maryland College Park. She was a sports copy-editor for a campus publication called Unwind Magazine and a writer at The Campus Current newspaper at Anne Arundel Community College.