#92 – GREEN TOMATO DIP from DOLCE NONNA

For the third year in a row, I’m going to attempt to eat every single item on Time Out New York’s annual 100 Best Dishes list. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100. Let the gluttony continue…

Time Out wrote about a green tomato dip that Dolce Nonna made due to an excess of green tomatoes. They sold it last summer at their pop-up at the Hester Street Fair. Sounded delicious.

Well, this year it’s no more. The company is still in business and I actually ran into them at the Fulton Stall Market a few months ago. They told me they were no longer making the dip, but gave me samples of some of their other products. I went home with a jar of their Marinated Eggplant deciding it would work as a substitute.

I have noticed on their website that they have since started producing a jar of Savory Green Tomatoes, a different product but with the same main ingredient. That would be an even better substitute except shipping and handling from their website is $12.95 (that’s more than the $8 jar itself costs!!)

Also on their website is a list of NYC venues that carry their product. They no longer appear at either weekend market, but the website says you can buy them at Garden of Eden, Whole Foods, or Sur La Table. I visited all three of those establishments and waited while a member of the staff scoured the computer and the aisles for any of their products. Nothing could be found.

At some point, I surrendered to the mysteriously elusive green tomatoes and popped open that jar of Marinated Eggplant. It definitely perked up a loaf of olive bread I bought at a nearby Farmer’s Market.

The eggplant was sliced finely into meaty nuggets that had the consistency of an anchovy. The brine was full of garlic, oregano, red pepper, olive oil, and vinegar. Each tangy bite was full of Italian flavors and the texture of the eggplant was quite interesting.

Not sure we’ll ever be able to try the Green Tomato Dip again, but if it was as tangy and complexly flavored as their other product, it might just be worth the expedition.

Would Dolce Nonna’s Green Tomato Dip make my Top 100 of the year? Probably would have made last year’s list, but this year I only got to try the Marinated Eggplant which was bright, meaty, and flavorful. 8 out of 10.