Bring on the Green Tomatoes

 

With more of us interested in growing our own produce, September also brings the age-old problem of what to do with gluts of fruit and vegetables. Grandma Abson’s mantra was ‘Waste not want not’ and when this happened, nothing ever went to waste.  She made chutneys and pickles to last through the winter as a perfect side dish with hot and cold dishes.

So, armed with a load of green tomatoes when the sun didn’t shine and were about to succumb to blight, I consulted one of Grandma’s collection of cookery book for a suitable recipe. Home-made chutneys are very easy to make and this recipe is based on her 1930s baking splattered copy of ‘Modern Cookery Illustrated’.

Green Tomato Chutney

2 lb/approx 1 kg green tomatoes

2lbs/approx. 1 kg apples

1 lb/450g demerera sugar

1 lb/450g shallots

2 oz/50g garlic

1/2lb/450g sultanas

2 tbsps of ginger (chopped finely) or ground ginger

6 red chillis (chopped finely)

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp mustard seed

1 pint/ml vinegar (cider or white wine vinegar)

Quarter the tomatoes. Peel and core the apples and cut into pieces; peel the shallots and garlic. Mix together. Place in a large pan and add the other ingredients. Bring slowly to the boil, then simmer for about 1½ hours, stirring until the ingredients are thick and soft. Allow to cool. Spoon into clean jars and cover securely.

Grandma Abson’s tips : Chop the tomatoes and onions finely or put them through a mincer if you want the final consistency of the chutney to be smooth. To test if the chutney is ready, draw a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan. If it’s ready, the chutney must not flow back into the gap left behind by the spoon. If not, then check every 5 minutes or so until the gap is clear. Chutney needs to cool slowly so the spices infuse and flavour the fruit. You can add more ginger and other spices such as mustard seed, coriander or cumin to make it even spicier. 

Check out more of Grandma Abson’s Chutney recipes

Apple Chutney

Cranberry & Apple Chutney

Mango & Apple Chutney

Mango Chutney

Rhubarb & Ginger Chutney

Rhubarb & Ginger Chutney makes the grade

I was delighted to support a Doncaster Heritage Skills baking session earlier in the year and  demonstrate a few recipes. Grandma’s mantra was ‘Waste not want not’ and when there were gluts of produce, nothing ever went to waste.  This year has been a good one for Rhubarb, but there are only so many Rhubarb Crumbles to eat so I made this spicy Rhubarb and Ginger Chutney. It got thumbs up all round!

What you need …

1kg/2.2lbs rhubarb

300ml/½ pint white wine or cider vinegar

2 onions (chopped)

10g lump root ginger peeled and finely chopped

1 cinnamon stick

½ tsp salt

350g brown sugar

How to prepare …

Trim and wash the rhubarb, slice it into fairly fine chunks. Heat the chopped onions, vinegar, ginger, sugar and salt in a wide based non aluminium pan. Bring to a boil for about 5 minutes, then add the rhubarb. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened. Put into sterilised jars and leave to cool.

Meryl says : It needs a bit more boiling than other chutneys but well worth the effort and especially if you like a milder chutney it will go well with cheese and meats throughout the year.

Try more Rhubarb recipes

Rhubarb Betty

Rhubarb Crumble

French Rhubarb Flan

Rhubarb Tart/Rhubarb Lattice Tart

Rhubarb Tutti-frutti Crumble

or Chutney Recipes 

Apple Chutney

Cranberry & Apple Chutney

Mango & Apple Chutney

Mango Chutney

Meryl says : Whatever you bake this month, enjoy it!

Waste not want not

Lemon Biscuits just out of the oven

None of us likes to waste things and this is particularly the case with food. Grandma Abson was always careful to make full use of everything in her pantry and nothing went to waste. So when I had a couple of lemons left over, I remembered Grandma's recipe for Lemon Biscuits. I adapted the original recipe by reducing the sugar and substituting lemon juice for the milk. 

Lemon Biscuits

½ lb/225g plain flour

5 oz/150g butter

2 oz/50g caster sugar

Grated rind of one lemon

Pinch salt

1 tbsp lemon juice 

Mix the salt and flour. Rub in the butter and add the grated rind, sugar and then the lemon juice. Turn the paste onto a floured board and knead to a dough. Roll out rather thickly and cut into rounds. Place on a greased baking tray and bake in a slow oven for 20 minutes at 325F, Mark 3 or 170C.

Tip for making biscuits: A stiff dough is the consistency for most biscuits. Just enough liquid is needed to bind all the dry ingredients together so the dough can be shaped or rolled out and cut without crumbling. It is important that the dough is well but lightly kneaded so it’s smooth and even.

Meryl says : Grated rind of an orange can be substituted  to make Orange Biscuits.

Enjoy making biscuits – my Lemon Biscuits didn’t last long!