Green Tomato Glaze

photo: Rachel Amiralian

This all-purpose glaze made from slow-cooked unripe tomatoes, sugar, spices and local honey pairs well with any cut of pork—brushed onto seared pork tenderloin before roasting, as the base for a subtly-sweet low-acid BBQ sauce or even basted onto ribs in the smoker. A delicious way to use up green tomatoes from a home garden at the end of the season.

Makes about 2 cups

6–8 medium-sized green tomatoes
2½ cups cane sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
⅓ cup local honey
2 cinnamon sticks
Lemon zest

Roughly chop the tomatoes, and place in a medium-size saucepan. 

Add the salt, sugar and lemon juice, and begin to cook over medium heat.

Bring the mixture to a soft boil, stirring often to break down the tomatoes. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium/low and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring regularly so glaze doesn't scorch. 

Once the glaze has reduced slightly, after about 40 minutes, add the cinnamon and lemon zest and stir to incorporate. Let simmer for another 15 minutes, and remove from the heat to cool. 

Once cooled slightly, transfer the glaze to a container. Store in the fridge to get the final texture, which should be thick but still a little jiggly. 

This recipe appeared as an online exclusive in October 2019 as part of a larger story on Green Tomatoes.