Matilda's Tomato Chutney

This chutney works as a condiment with all sorts of food, we use it in place of tomato sauce or ketchup on burgers. It's great when we put together a plough-mans lunch, or add it on sandwiches.  We have also found its great with sausages and mash, and as a side on an after dinner cheese board or spread on crackers as a pre-dinner drinks snack.

INGREDIENTS

·         1 ½ kilos ripe tomatoes (vine ripened are very good)

·         ½ kilo onions (we use brown)

·         ½ kilo sugar

·         2 teaspoons of salt

·         Pepper to taste

·         1 tablespoon curry powder

·         1 ½ tablespoons mustard

·         2 tablespoons plain flour

·         Vinegar – white (don’t use brown or apple cider)

METHOD

·        Slice tomatoes and onions evenly

·        In a large boiler add the onions and tomatoes

·       Add the salt & sugar

·      Cover with vinegar

·       Bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on

·       Mix the curry powder, mustard & flour together into a paste with a bit of vinegar to a thick consistency like cream and then power slowly into the chutney mix stirring while doing so

·       Add a few grinds of pepper

·       Simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on

·       Taste for any salt or sugar adjustment

·       Put a teaspoon of the mix onto a plate and let it cool – to check the thickness you should be able to turn the plate upside down and not have the mixture fall off straight away.

·       If it’s too runny mix another tablespoon of plain flour in vinegar to make a paste and add to the chutney mix.

PRESERVING JARS

·         You will need about 4 x 350gram preserving jars (buy them from supermarket– red and white lids)

·         Wash in very hot water

·         Spoon the hot chutney mix in

·         Put the lids on and turn upside down on a protected surface and leave until cool

Bruce's Tomato Chutney

Discover this easy tomato chutney recipe, the perfect way to complement a piece of hard cheese; try this recipe today. Perfect on toast with a chunk of cheddar.

INGREDIENTS

•             2 kilos ripe roma tomatoes

•             3/4 kilo onions (we use brown)

•             2 capsicums (red Bell Peppers) 

•             3/4 kilo sugar

•             2 teaspoons of salt

•             Pepper to taste

•             2 tablespoons plain flour

•             Vinegar – Red wine & Balsamic 50/50 (don’t use white, brown or apple cider)

METHOD

•             Slice tomatoes and onions evenly

•             In a large boiler add the onions and tomatoes

•             Add the salt & sugar

•             Cover with vinegar

•             Bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on

•             Mix the flour together into a paste with a bit of vinegar to a thick consistency like cream                      and then pour slowly into the chutney mix stirring while doing so

•             Add a few grinds of pepper

•             Simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on

•             Taste for any salt or sugar adjustment

•             Put a teaspoon of the mix onto a plate and let it cool – to check the thickness you should be                 able to turn the plate upside down and not have the mixture fall off straight away.

•             If it’s too runny cook for a further 20 minutes, then if its still too runny mix another                              tablespoon of plain flour in vinegar to make a paste and add to the chutney mix.

PRESERVING JARS

•             You will need about 6 x 300 gram preserving jars (red and white lids)

•             Wash in very hot water

•             Spoon the hot chutney mix in

•             Put the lids on and turn upside down on a protected surface and leave until cool

Oven roasted  capsicums (Bell Peppers) are a nice addition to this recipe in place of fresh ones. 

Apple Tea Cake

Image courtesy of Google.

The thing I like about this cake is its simplicity, it is not overly sweet and doesn't require a great deal of butter/margarine as some cakes do. An electric mixer is not required, this one is easily whipped up with a hand held whisk.

Apple Tea Cake Ingredients
1 Level Tbs marg or butter
4 Level Tbs sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbs milk
1 Heaped cup flour
2 Tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 Tsp vanilla essence

Base Ingredients
Apple slices usually one apple is enough
1 Tsp Cinnamon
2 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 Tbs butter

Turn on the oven to 180 deg C

To prepare the base:
Cut a round of baking paper to fit a 20cm round cake tin
Grease/oil the cake tin
Place the baking paper round in the cake tin
Sprinkle the base with brown sugar and Cinnamon
Cut small pieces of butter and place into the brown sugar
Arrange the rounds or thin slices of apple over the base to totally cover the bake paper
Set aside and make the cake batter.

The cake batter:
Whisk butter and sugar together in a bowl, add egg and all moist ingredients in a bowl, whisk until well combined. Sift in flour and baking powder gradually until well combined and is a smooth batter. Pour into the cake tin on top of the apple slices.

Place in the centre rack of the stove and cook for 20 - 30 Minutes cake is cooked when a skewer comes out clean.
Let cooked cake cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Loosen around the edges with a knife, turn out onto a wire rack, turn the cake over on to its base leaving the paper on.

When cool cut into wedged serve and enjoy

To simplify cake just oil/grease the tin, place in the batter, cover the top with the apple slices and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Cook as per the instructions.

To really simplify the cake just omit the apple all together and sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon on the top when cooked. However it just wont taste as good as the full recipe cake with the caramelised apple slices in cinnamon on the base.

Notes:

We no longer use self-raising flour, this is for a couple of reasons, being on a boat it helps with storage not having to carry 3 or 4 variety's of flour. For example plain self-raising whole grain and bread making flour. We also found the raising agents don't work as well as the flour is coming toward the use by date. This time is also reduced in the warmer weather of Asia. So by adding the raising ingredient when mixing we have found the finish product has risen better.