A couple of weeks ago we finished our last jar of chutney and I had a wee grumble to mum, who was visiting, that I wouldn't be able to make any this year.......brand new gardens aren't very helpful on the chutney front. But then it occurred to us both that Knockfarrel might have a glut of some of their veg, or some seconds that wouldn't make it into their boxes and restaurant deliveries......a quick email later and I had fixed up some extra glorious goodness. That wonderful load of tomatoes, onions, garlic, beetroot and marjoram, in the photo below, came to just £10 - I couldn't help working out what the tomatoes alone (all 7kg of them) would have cost me at the supermarket, and lets just say it would have been an awful lot more.
I had a wee change of plan though, once the box arrived. When I said to Jo, as he dropped off the veg, that I'd be popping into the Co-op with fingers crossed for some courgettes, and some apples too, to round out the chutney he commented he hadn't thought to mention I could have those too. So I decided to hang fire on the chutney until the next delivery, when I'll be asking for tomatoes, onions, garlic and courgette (and meanwhile wishing I could get my hands on some of the apples that are simply pouring off the trees in local gardens, mostly completely ignored). And I made tomato sauce instead.
You can probably imagine the endless amounts of tomato sauce we get through..........used in pasta, stews, pizza and soups to name just a few. I'm sure I could make the same amount again many times over to keep us fully stocked for the winter, but I have frozen enough local goodness to keep us going for quite a while. I cobbled together a recipe after a wee look around online and think I came up with a good general-purpose sauce - I've shared it below just in case you manage to get your hands on a load of tomatoes, and also so I can remember what on earth I did next time round! Let me know what you think if you do try it, or I'd love to know if you have a favourite recipe you'd be happy to share.
And what do you put in your chutney? Maybe there's something else I should be asking Jo to bring next Thursday?!
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Tomato Sauce (adjust according to the weight of tomatoes you have!)Several large glugs of olive oil
7 onions chopped
1 head of garlic finely chopped
1 fat red chilli finely chopped
1 tbsp. each rosemary, thyme and marjoram, roughly shredded
7kg tomatoes chopped
2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. tomato puree
3 tbsp. basil roughly shredded
I think the correct procedure would be to peel and core the tomatoes, I'm afraid I don't bother!
1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pan (I used my jam pan and it was only just big enough). Add the onion and garlic and cook gently until onions are soft. Add the rosemary, thyme and marjoram for a few more minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and salt and gently heat until boiling. Reduce to a simmer and cook for around 1 hour until tomatoes are soft and pulpy, stirring occasionally.
3. Puree with a stick blender - take care as it is very hot.
4. Stir in the sugar, vinegar, tomato puree and basil and simmer gently (still uncovered) until it reaches a thickness that suits. I left mine for around 3 hours.
5. Allow to cool a little before freezing.
I'd love to freeze in glass jars but unfortunately we struggle for freezer space so I use good quality freezer bags instead.
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