Last weekend I gave the tomatoes quite a savage crew cut. Probably somewhere between a number 1 and bald. They were going downhill fast because I haven't cared for them like I should have. All six plants were a tangled mess and literally suffocating from it.
After emergency surgery, they look a little more like grape vines than tomatoes.
Once I'd spent an hour untangling the plants and giving each of them a good trim, I looked down at the ground to see a small bucket full of green tomatoes. Waste not want not... so I went searching for a good green tomato recipe.
I took elements from a few different green tomato chutney recipes and came up with the following:
Recipe
8 cups of chopped green tomatoes
2 large chopped onions
1 chopped red capsicum
sea salt
1 1/2 cups of white vinegar
1 1/4 cups of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of curry powder
1 tablespoon of celery salt
1/2 teaspoon of tumeric
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
The first step is to combine all of the chopped vegetables. Level them out in a wide/deep saucepan and sprinkle a small handful of sea salt over the top. Once this is done, leave it to sit overnight. This brings out the moisture in the vegetables.
Great colours, nothing like fresh ingredients.
Next step, after a good night's sleep, is to rinse the vegetables and drain them. Once this is done, combine all other ingredients in a new saucepan and bring it to the boil. Add the vegetables and reduce it to a simmer. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
You will know when it's ready, as the green tomatoes will start to lose their shape a little. You should be left with a nice rich even colour at then end - somewhere between mustard and baby vomit.
Sterilise your jars before filling with the chutney. I put glad wrap over the top before screwing the lid on just to be sure that it keeps nicely. The recipe will fill two large jars or three medium sized jars.
So much flavour and so easy! Great on fresh bread or with a cracker. Don't waste your green tomatoes.
How does the taste compare to your standard, slightly sweet red tomato chutney?
ReplyDeleteI find taste very difficult to describe. I would say that the green tomato chutney posesses a much stronger flavour, perhaps a little tart. The texture in this recipe creates something a little like a gravy, so it tends to dominate in the flavour stakes. In comparison, most red tomato chutneys I've tried are more complimentary in flavour.
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