Things have been a little difficult at home lately and at times I've been feeling full of despair. So the little pleasures have been very important to me. That little bit of happiness I can get from creating something, especially if it's homely, can be enough to get me through the day and let me know that life can be good and beautiful. Making tomato relish is for me one of those small pleasures.
First you need 1 1/2 kilos of juicy red tomatoes, the more ripe, the better.
You'll need one old, stained recipe book that used to belong to your mother.....
some empty jam jars.....
and some of this.
Cut a little cross in the top of each tomato and cover them with boiling water for a few minutes. This makes them easy to peel and this is where the ripeness helps. The skin peels off easier, the more ripe they are.
Chop up the tomatoes and two large onions and put them in a large saucepan.
Cover with brown vinegar and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 mins.
Add a heaped tablespoon each of dry mustard and curry powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and two cups of sugar.
Simmer for another 20 minutes.
Thicken with 1/2 cup cornflour which has been blended with 2 cups white vinegar.
Pour into jars which have been cleaned and heated in the oven on low heat.
Arrange in a row and admire your handy work.
Tasty with burgers and sandwiches or with oven baked potato wedges for an after-school snack.
Or do as Rosie does and just dip your finger in and enjoy the flavoursome tanginess.
What are your small pleasures?
Oh one of my small pleasures are reading inspiring blog posts.... (thank u Esther :)))) and a bigger pleasure is also to actually follow thru and make something I read about and think "that looks so good I want to try make it"... So now your tomato relish is bookmarked and is added to my list of "things to make" that will def provide a smile and some satisfaction with myself....xoxo
ReplyDeleteYour relish looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteJayne
Ooh, that sounds delicious.My tomatoes are just starting to ripen. Hopefully they'll all ripen before the weather turns. I'd love to make your relish but may end up having to make green tomato chutney instead. I love your pantry.I had one in a previous house and I loved it. My Grandma had a very big pantry and I used to love going in there and looking at everything.
ReplyDeleteEsther, One of my small pleasures is creating in the kitchen. Recipes like this are wonderful and the ability to create something like this is very satisfying.
ReplyDeleteReading about others doing the same thing is another small pleasure.
Looking for the beauty in the details is comforting.
Sorry to hear things are hectic, glad you can escape and make these beautiful relishes. Take care.
ReplyDelete