This is the season for tomatoes ! You can find all kind of tomatoes these days: red and yellow ones, green and even blacke ones, small and big sizes under delicious exotic names such as ‘Black from Crimea’, Green Zebra’, ‘Beef Heart’ and even ‘pineapple tomatoes’ to name a few (with the pineapple ones, their flesh shows different tones of yellow and orange) Tomatoes are loaded with antioxidants (the lycopene which is released when the tomato is cooked or when they are really ripe), vitamins A, B, C and E. Tomatoes also contain, in smaller quantities, some magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese and iodine. As the tomato season does not last very long, I always buy a lot of them and stock those fruits! I roast and cook them for a risotto or pasta base. I also treasure their flavour in home- made ketchup, marmalades or chutneys. I freeze or sterilize my jars and there you go, in the midst of winter, you can serve delicious tomatoes…this to me, is the ultimate luxury! Ingredients:
- 3 kilos middle size red ripe tomatoes, hulled and quartered
- 2 cup agave syrup
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 onions, peeled and sliced thinly
- 2 tbps organic olive oil
Recipe:
- In a large pan, brown the onions with olive oil
- Then place the tomatoes with the agave syrup, the cider vinegar, the cinnamon and the rest of the spices; Stir well
- Place the pan on low heat and let the mix cook till you have a rough compote; Stir often the chutney so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan
- Once the mixture looks thicker and less liquid, place the chutney into a blender and blend till you reach an homogeneous ‘paste’
- Pour the chutney into your chosen jars and close right away their lids before turning the jars upside down (you can use the more classic way to sterilize the pots – check my marmalade recipes); Let it cool down before serving
Enjoy !