Green tomato pickle
3 kg green tomatoes
1 kg onions
50g fresh ginger grated
5-7g salt
750 ml white wine vinegar
half tsp pepper
700g caster sugar
3 tbsp curry powder
3 tbsp mustard powder
This green tomato pickle is very quick and easy to make, however it does rely on the best ingredients, and I find the curry mix I use is from Herbie’s Spices Curry mix with whole spices (www.herbies.com.au).
The texture is important when making relish and chutney, so I always halve and slice the tomatoes and onions in this recipe. This makes the pickle look more interesting when it is finally cooked, rather than mushed all up. I lile getting a sense of what is in the relish rather than a whizzed up brown mess – you can see the contrast of colours, feel the texture of each ingredient, and more importantly, get the sense that you are not in hospital getting fed through a tube.
Chop the onions and green tomatoes as above, sprinkle with salt, and mix well in a bowl, then leave to stand over night.
Next day drain off the excess fluid and discard – but be careful not to discard the tomatoes (in a distracted moment, that has happened to me before). Add 500ml of vinegar, bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes. Add the sugar, bring back to the boil, stirring, and then boil for 45-60 minutes, stirring often.
Mix the remaining vinegar with the dry ingredients. Add to the saucepan and stir until well combined. Boil for 5 minutes, then bottle and seal in sterilized jars while hot.
This recipe makes approximately 2kg.