Green tomatoes!

I made green tomato chutney last year, and it was quite nice, except really we don’t eat a lot of chutney; so there in the cupboard under the stairs are rows and rows of bottles of chutney maturing for some future day when we actually do want chutney in a sandwich.

So what to do with the green tomatoes I have? I guess some of them will ripen, but there are an awful lot which won’t. I came across an unusual recipe for mincemeat which we do eat at Christmas time… so maybe this is a possibility?

• 6lbs chopped green tomatoes
• 3lbs peeled, chopped tart apples
• 1lb raisins
• 8oz currants
• 4oz  cup diced candied peel
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1½  – 2 teaspoons salt
• 12 oz brown sugar
• ¾ pint vinegar
• 4 tbsp lemon juice

1. Mix all the ingredients in a heavy pan over a moderate  heat
2. Stir all the time to prevent sticking until the sugar has dissolved
3. leave on a low heat to cook until it begins to thicken (about 1 hour) stirring from time to time so it doesn’t stick
4. Bottle in sterile jars and store in a dark place

Now I haven’t got anywhere near six pounds of green toms, so my recipe will be much reduced, but the amount of spice seems tiny for the quantity so I will add extra! The recipe doesn’t mention what type of vinegar but I think I will use cider vinegar so it’s not too strong. Now a normal recipe for mincemeat would have more fruit, and more sugar, it would also be uncooked which wouldn’t work for the tomatoes. It would also have some sort of alcohol in it for many people (that’s us!) so judging on what the green tom mincemeat is like when its finished cooking, I might stir in a little something alcoholic when its cool!

Watch this space!