Grilled Green Tomato Sliders
Green tomatoes are not just for frying—they’re for grilling too! Their firm texture holds-up beautifully on top of a hot, hot grill (just be sure to generously oil the grates). And, from a flavor standpoint, I think the char of the grill beats the grease of the fryer any day. In this recipe, they’re seasoned with a bit of a kick, but then paired with a scrumptiously sweet Fig & Goat Cheese Spread—the combination is perfection.
- 3 oz. goat cheese
- 3 tbsp. good quality fig jam or preserves
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 6-12 thin slices sopressata (optional)
- 6 soft mini pretzel buns, cut in half along the perimeter
- 2 medium green tomatoes, ends removed and each cut into 3 thick rounds (see TIP A)
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. corn starch
- 1 small garlic clove, grated or finely minced
- 3-6 dashes hot sauce (like Cholula®, optional)
- 1 tsp. fine or medium ground cornmeal
- 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 6-12 crisp lettuce leaves
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Put all of the Fig & Goat Cheese Spread ingredients (goat cheese, fig jam, lemon zest, chives and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt) in the bowl of a mini or standard food processor. Whir until well blended and set aside. (Transfer to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate if made more than 30 minutes in advance.)
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Preheat your oven to 425° and outdoor grill to high heat (about 550°). Generously coat the grates of your grill with vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray.
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Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the sopressata slices in a single layer across the top of the paper (leave about an inch between each slice). Meanwhile, put the mini pretzel buns (pre-sliced) at the center of a large piece of heavy duty foil. Gather and fold the sides of the foil so that the pretzel buns are completely enclosed. Put both the sopresatta and pretzel buns in a pre-heated 425° oven for about 7-9 minutes. You want the sopresatta slices to caramelize slightly and the buns to warm. When the sopresatta becomes brown and crispy around the edges, it's ready. Pull both from the oven (leave the buns enclosed in the foil) and set aside.
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Meanwhile, combine the olive oil, corn starch, grated or minced garlic, and hot sauce (if using) in a small bowl. Whisk until well blended. Combine the cornmeal, kosher salt, and black pepper in another small bowl. Lay the tomato slices flat across a large plate. Use a silicone brush or small spoon to generously coat the tops of the tomato slices with half of the olive oil slurry. Then sprinkle with half of the cornmeal mixture. Flip the tomato slices and do the same to the other side using up the remaining olive oil slurry and cornmeal mixture.
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Bring the plate of seasoned tomatoes grill-side. Carefully re-apply vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray to your grill grates if needed. Place the tomato slices directly on top of the hot grill (pre-heated to about 550°) and close the lid. Let cook undisturbed on one side for about 3-4 minutes or until they develop dark grill marks. Then flip and do the same to the other side.
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Back inside, open the foil pouch of pretzel buns and put a generous smear of the Fig & Goat Cheese spread on each half (top and bottom). Place a couple of crisp lettuce leaves on the bottom half of each bun and top with a grilled green tomato slice and 1-2 slices of caramelized sopresatta (if using). Then top with the other half of the pretzel bun and serve warm.
TIP A: It's not a dumb question..."Are green tomatoes their own breed of tomato or just unripe red tomatoes?" The answer, both. For this recipe, you want the latter (unripe red tomatoes) because you want them quite firm and tart. You could certainly substitute red, yellow, or purple tomatoes with the same degree of firmness—the key is that you want them to be able to hold their shape even after grilling. Tomatoes that stay green even when fully sweet, soft, and ripe do exist; however, they're not best for this recipe and can usually be identified by some striping or variation in color. Unripe red tomatoes tend to be an even light green color all over.