Tomato and Chilli Relish

Picked a load of tomatoes at the weekend. Didn't want them to go to waste, so I decided to make some more Tomato and Chilli Relish. I used an old recipe ( I may have put it on previous posts!) and adapted it a little.

Ingredients used:

• 1000 g very ripe tomatoes
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 8 red chillies
• 1 Red Pepper
• 3 tsp finely chopped ginger
• 60 ml fish sauce
• 400g golden caster sugar
• 60g Jam Sugar
• 200 ml red wine vinegar

1. First I dice half the quantity of tomatoes and set aside.

2. Blend the remaining whole tomatoes (chop up any bigger ones) in a food processor along with the garlic, chillies, red pepper, ginger and fish sauce until the mixture reaches a pureé type consistency.

3. Pour the mixture into a saucepan together with the sugar and vinegar. Allow the sugar to melt before bringing to the boil. Stir slowly as you do this.

4. Once the mixture has reached boiling point, reduce to a simmer and add the remaining diced tomatoes.

5. Skim off any scum that forms with a metal spoon and cook for 30 -40 minutes, stirring from time to time to prevent sticking.

6. Pour the mixture into a warmed sterilised jar. Seal while still warm and label the jars when cold. 

Seed Saving- Useful Guide

http://www.veggingoutwithadam.com/saving-your-own-vegetable-seed/


Added the above link as it is a useful guide to Seed Saving

Oven Drying Chillies to Flake/Crush

First step is to put gloves on!
Gently wash/rinse the chillies and pat dry with paper towels.
Cut stalks off and split chillies in half if necessary by slicing  down the long part.
Remove as many seeds as possible as you do this (remainder can be removed later)
Place greaseproof paper on a baking tray and place the chillies on top of it.
Put in oven at low heat (approx 100) and monitor carefully until dry/crispy.
First I left them in for 20 mins and then you should check them every 5 mins or so!

After you are satisfied that they are completely dried out, you can add them to a spice grinder and away you go. Be careful of dust from the grinding process as it is easy to inhale!!

Below is the result of my first batch of drying and grinding......

Red Habanero

Hotter chillies such as the Habaneros are slower to flower and fruit than the Annums.

Often find them only taking off in September & October.

The above is 2 Orange Habanero plants and they are flowering away now and have some lovely orange fruits on them..

Will probably save seed from these as they have been grown in isolation.

Spicy Chilli Relish & Hot Chilli Sauce

I have lots of chillies still to use up and so today I made these..

Spicy Chilli Relish

Ingredients:

12 Chillies (I used 2 Lemon Drop, 3 Hot-scotch, 6 Ohnivec and 1 Sante Fe)

1 Large Onion (chopped roughly)

1 Carrot (sliced)

3 tbsp Golden Caster sugar

1.5 Cups of Water

½ tsp of Cumin

½ Cup Cider Vinegar

½ Cup Red Wine Vinegar

1 Large Tomato (I used Brown Sugar, but any decent sized tomato with some flavour will do)

Add the chopped onion and carrot to the water and vinegar mix in the saucepan.

Add the sugar and stir until dissolved on a low heat. Gradually increase heat and when approaching soft consistency, add the roughly chopped tomato, chopped chillies and cumin powder.

Simmer until all have a nice soft consistency keeping a lid on the saucepan.

Add to the blender and whizz up! Taste and add to sterilised jars.

Taste Test> This is nice and tangy with a nice after kick to it!! Slightly thicker than the one below, this would fall into a chilli preserve/relish category whereas the one below is more of a chilli sauce..

Spicy Chilli Sauce

Ingredients:

12 Chillies

1 medium Onion (chopped roughly)

1 Lime juiced

2 and ½ tbsp Golden Caster sugar

1 Cup of Water

1 tbsp of Fish Sauce

1 tbsp of sliced Ginger

250ml White Vinegar

250ml Cider Vinegar

Add the sugar to the water and vinegar mix in the saucepan and stir until dissolved on low heat. Add the chopped onion, lime juice, ginger and fish sauce and increase heat.

When approaching soft consistency, add the roughly chopped chillies. Simmer until all have a nice soft consistency keeping a lid on the saucepan.

Add to the blender and whizz up! Then add to sterilised bottles.

Taste Test> A nice sweet to sharp taste..This is a chilli sauce and so more suited to bottles. 

Handy Tip..Saving Tomato Seeds

1. Rinse tomatoes in water to remove dirt before harvesting seeds. Cut off open or damaged parts of fruit. We collect tomatoes in five gallon buckets then fill them with water. Cleaning any dirt off becomes a natural sweeping motion with your hands as you grab tomatoes from the water.
2. Cut open ripe tomatoes one variety at a time and squeeze the pulp, juice and seeds into a container. If you have strong hands, you may crush the tomato in a five gallon bucket. Try to develop skill holding the tomato right side up and opening the tomato from the bottom blossom, and, with your fingers, then milking the germplasm gel which contains the seeds off the central column. This is the fastest method.
3. Pour into a container with a lid. Do not add water as a substitute for tomato juice since dilution slows fermentation.
4. Label and set aside the containers for three days at a temperature not more than 70°F (21°C).
5. Stir the fermenting juices to submerge the pulpy material, once or twice daily. This prevents the build up of mold which is not harmful to the seeds but may discolor them.
6. After three days decant. Pour into a larger container that allows you to add three or more times the volume of water and pour off the pulpy water but not the seeds at the bottom. Viable tomato seeds will sink. Repeat two or three times until seeds are clean. Note: not all viable seed varieties sink in water.

Roasted Tomato Sauce

A selection of harvested tomatoes

If you have (almost) more tomatoes than you know what to do with, this sauce is not only delicious and enormously versatile, but in its freshly sieved state – that is, before you add the sugar and vinegar – it freezes brilliantly for up to six months. Makes 1.4 litres.

3kg ripe tomatoes, halved
5-6 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
4-6 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-2 bay leaves
A little light muscovado sugar
A little cider or white-wine vinegar
Ground mace or nutmeg

Heat the oven to 180c. Lay the tomato halves cut-side up in a single layer in a couple of large roasting tins. Scatter over the garlic and thyme. Trickle over the oil and season generously.

Roast for an hour, or until the tomatoes are soft and starting to brown around the edges. Place a sieve over a bowl and, working in batches, tip the tomatoes into the sieve and rub them through with a wooden spoon. Discard the skin and pips. At this point, you have the option to freeze the sauce to keep you going through the winter – use it as a base for soups, stews and pasta sauces, or swirl it on top of pizza.

Measure the sieved puree volume, then put it in a wide saucepan with the bay leaf (or leaves). For every 500ml of puree, add a heaped teaspoon of sugar, a tablespoon of vinegar and a pinch of mace. Bring to a simmer and cook gently, stirring often, until reduced by half to form a thick, glossy sauce. Adjust the sugar/vinegar balance, if necessary, and season to taste.