Sep 2, 2009

Be my guest - Green tomato chutney recipe

Today I'm handing my virtual toque hat to Delwyn. She will be doing the cooking here today, and I will learn something new. She is a very talented blogger and we share the same culinary passions based on fresh, healthy ingredients. I eagerly follow all her fabulous nature walks and cooking posts on her beautiful blog A Hazy Moon.

Some time ago Delwyn and I exchanged comments and views regarding my Pommarola post, and she mentioned a family legacy recipe. She was kind enough to accept my invitation to be a guest blogger here today, to illustrate that very recipe for us to share. This entry will also serve as a springboard for a new column which I have called "Be my guest" for which I will invite friends and fellow bloggers to come tell us a recipe of theirs, a pièce de resistance, a cookery family tradition, their signature dish.
I for one, am not a trained professional nor a chef. My qualifications are purely alimentary. In my community of bloggers, we are all certified Eaters with a passion for food, however. In my "You're the cook today" weekly column, each of you will have a chance to contribute your favorite recipes and widen your circle of friends as the official Aglio, Olio & Peperoncino chef of the day.

So come in, Delwyn. Don't be shy. Here's the stove and a clean apron. The pantry is well-stocked and the refrigerator humming over there is filled with anything you might need. Feel free to peruse the cabinets. There's plenty of herbs on the windowsill, and some wine resting sideways in the cellar. I can't wait to see you in action, so I'll just step aside now and watch you make your delicious...

Green Tomato Chutney from New Zealand

A while back joyful Lola was telling us of making sugo while holidaying with her family.
I mentioned that her story brought back the smells and the images of hot nights late in summer when my parents would chop tomatoes and onions at tables out on the back lawn and cook up enough tomato sauce and green tomato chutney to last through the year

Lola inquired about the Green Tomato Chutney and as I was heading off to New Zealand for a few days, I told her that I would dig out my mother's recipe.

The recipe book that holds my mother's favourite recipes has been well used over the years and I was surprised to see that it begins in my young school girl handwriting.


So a week ago I ordered sufficient green tomatoes from the Red Tomato man at the Farmers' markets and last night I began by washing and dicing the green tomatoes and the equivalent amount of onions, sprinkling them with salt and leaving them to sit overnight.






After which I drained them and went to find my spices, the vinegar and sugar.

As my supermarket did not have Pickling spices per se I made a quick call across the Tasman and was given my Mother's sage advice. Do not over do it... So I mixed some peppercorns, mustard seed, ginger, allspice and coriander seeds. Just enough to allow flavour room for the tastes of the curry powder, turmeric and mustard powder that will be added later with cornflour.





Next I boiled the mix of green tomatoes, onions, malt vinegar, sugar and pickling spices for an hour, during which time I sterilized the jars in which I chose to store the chutney.


After the hour of bubbling I thickened the chutney with the power packed brew
of curry, turmeric, cornflour and mustard, spooned it into the waiting jars...


...and made a cracker with Tasty New Zealand Mainland cheese as a sample...


or two.

Green Tomato Chutney is a great condiment for cold meats and adds a tasty pickled lift to cheese crackers.

Quantity recap:
4 lb tomatoes
4 lb onions
salt to sprinkle over
750 ml (1 3/4 pints) malt vinegar
1 oz pickling spice (tied in muslin cloth)
2 lb sugar
Boil one hour
Thicken with the following spices mixed in a little cold vinegar
1 Tb mustard powder
1 Tb curry powder
1 Tb turmeric
1 1/2 to 2 Tb cornflour

Store in sterilized jars. Refrigerate once opened


Thank you Delwyn, that was a terrific recipe. Stay tuned for more Be My Guest appearances!

29 comments:

  1. Well done Lola

    you've done a great job getting that up and posted and it has created a bright start to your new 'You're the Cook Today' theme which I am sure will be widely read and enjoyed.

    Thanks Lola for having me as the inaugural guest...

    Now it's time to make a cracker with a little cheese and green tomato chutney to have with my New Zealand Oyster Bay Sav Blanc as it is 6 pm here - and the bewitching hour...

    Thanks and Love
    Delwyn

    Happy Days

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  2. Just lovely! How nice to have a guest and I enjoyed the look back!

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  3. Good thing your Mum kept those old recipe books Delwyn! Looks really tempting...

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  4. Looks yummy and doesnt seem to be too difficult to do, I could give it a try :-)

    Thank you for the recipe Delwyn. That page from that recipe book does look very charming!

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  5. This looks amazing! I cannot wait to try it!

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  6. Hi Lola...
    I am visiting here from Delwyn's...will have to try her chutney myself...and I need to wonder through your blog to see what I've been missing!

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  7. Oh delightful and delicious. As I mentioned to Delwyn, this brings back wonderful childhood memories...my mother made this and we had it with cold meats on a salad plate or right on sandwiches..so good.

    Delwyn, I love the photographs that accompany this from the green and white towel to match the green tomatoes, the child's writing and the Keen's mustard!!

    Thank you for sharing!

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  8. Amazing! All looks and reads gorgeously! And I do love your you're the cook today, idea! Very cool! xxx

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  9. LoVe the new header, Lola. And Delwyn, the old hand written notebook is devine. This blog makes me HUNGRY!

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  10. Wonderful, Delwyn and Lola! Loved the look into the old recipe book, and the food shots were superb. Well done!

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  11. Yummy! I can't wait to try making it with all the tomatoes still green here in the Northwest.

    Thanks Delwin. Thanks Lola.

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  12. it sounds complicate but good :)

    i will follow it. pics are nice ;)

    clelia

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  13. Congrats Lola on yr new theme!

    Fabulous!

    xoxox LOLA:)

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  14. What a lovely recipe! I have two friends, in particular, who are green tomato fans, so I will pass this link on to them.

    Lola, I love this new feature!

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  15. At the rate my tomatoes are not ripening I should have enough to make some of this. Mmmm.

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  16. Looks delicious, refreshing, and easy too! I love green tomatoes - Fried here in the south.
    Great new header, Lola.
    Catherine

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  17. Delwyn sent me here for a snack
    I'll have 2 please they looks super delicious.

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  18. This looks so yummy! I love the recipe and the idea of a guest recipe. It was so cute and witty. It felt like we are all watching a friend cook at another friend's house.

    Did you say there was wine?

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  19. Thats fantastic to see New Zealand getting a mention, and I know you have chosen a great wine to go with that!! My Aunt (who lives in Tenterfield, NSW) gave me a recipe for green tomato pickle, I must dig it out and compare.
    Cheers!

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  20. Thanks Lola/Delywn. What a great idea! It looks absolutely wonderful, it's on my "wish list" to make one day!!

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  21. Just arrived back in Madrid, after 2 months in Portugal. The last 4 days we stayed at a friend's place in the Alentejo. He had the best cook and we just did not stop eating. I have some photos of the food, but after coming to your blog, I wonder what was I doing???
    I am so glad to see you busy blogging again and Claudia and I have been hungrily looking up your blog again, several of your past recipes.
    This is a very good idea, having a guest cook in your blog. Of course Delwin is just as talented as you are, and I loved her recipe for chutney. Bob and I go to Sri Lanka all the time and have a friend there who makes the best wild mango chutney which we bring in bottles and then finish in a couple of weeks. I will attempt to make this one, though, lets see how it will come out.

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  22. What a simply wonderful idea - food from around the world once a week at your beautiful and inspiring place, Lola. Nothing could be finer.

    Delwyn, thank you for that intriguing recipe - it sounds just perfectly perfect and it is one I will try this weekend as we have a veritable glut of tomatoes.

    Now, Lola, I'm armed with a fresh cup of Rwenzori coffee and there is some Vivaldi playing loudly and soothingly in my studio right next door so it is the perfect time for me to spend catching up on all the posts I've missed recently. Byeeee, and talk later when I've completed the journey through your always delectable and inspiring blog!

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  23. Wonderful teamwork there ! And the end result at the bottom after all those mouth-watering descriptions looks delectable ! Oh dear, I've drooled all over my keyboard now !
    :-(
    Thanks for these beautiful photos and descriptions of how to do it... am going to show this to la Grenouille !
    :-D

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  24. Wow, my friend and I were just talking about making green tomato chutney yesterday!!!! Now we have the recipe we'll use.

    LOVE your jar. I've never seen any with color or is that your label?

    This was a fabulous post with gorgeous photos. THANKS a million.

    xo

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  25. Actually Lola they were just green unripened tomatoes...

    that's why you need all the sugar!
    and why the tomato remains firm.

    Happy days

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  26. Lovely post, recipe, and photos. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Thank you!

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  27. Ooops - Delwyn I have deleted that comment.

    I thought they HAD to be green VARIETY.

    Ciao

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  28. Thanks again for joining us, and whoever wishes to participate in next week's "You're the cook today" installment, go ahead and candidate yourself, positions are open!

    Ciao,
    ~Lola

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