I was so disappointed with my garden this year. This is my third year cultivating a garden and it was by far the worst turn out to date. I’m not sure if it was the heavy rains, cool temps, my green thumb, our highly metallic soil, or all of the above but overall the garden of 2015 left much to be desired. Still I enjoyed the process. Planting, cultivating, and being at one with the earth really helps me appreciate the work of thousands of farmers worldwide that painstakingly plant and harvest tons of food for mass consumption. It always helps to be more mindful about your food, where it comes from, and how it is produced. But I’ll save that tirade for another post 🙂
This post is about tomatoes. Mainly the small yet edible yield of which I was able to make this delightful Spicy Tomato Chutney a few weeks ago. I had several overripe tomatoes that were on their way out. This was my first time doing a chutney but it certainly won’t be my last. Homegrown tomatoes are the best, even when they are on the small side and this chutney was a huge hit at the Gluten Free Mingle Lucheon I hosted two weekends ago. Check out the recipe after the jump and tell me: “What’s your favorite way to use home grown tomatoes”?
Spicy Tomato Chutney
4 medium ripe tomatoes
1 granny smith apple, peeled and diced
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 small vidalia onion, diced
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla
6 ounces pineapple juice
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch of salt
Olive oil to coat sauté pan
Quarter the tomatoes, then cut each quarter in half.
- In a sauté pan heat the oil and add minced garlic. Add the onions and sweat until soft. Add the ginger and diced apples and saute for 5 minutes. Finally add the tomatoes and cook for 10 more minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combine the pineapple juice, vinegar, sugars, cinnamon, chili powder, vanilla, and lemon juice.
- Add this mixture to the pan. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a bare simmer and reduce for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Photo credit: Honest Cooking