A Skinned Tomato Makes the Best Relish

As mentioned in my last few blogs, it's been ultra busy at our house so I haven't had as much time to deal with the ever increasing pile of tomatoes and other produce that I've been given or grown lately. Finally I've realised I need to get busy and do something with it all.

I've been making tomato relish for years but every year I experiment with different recipes because I haven't quite found the perfect one. Truth be told, my favourite is made with a good old Ezy sauce base (a vinegar-spice mix that you can find in Aussie supermarkets in the sauce section) but I feel like that's not traditional enough or something so I've been experimenting with recipes that are a bit more basic (tomato, vinegar, sugar and spices only).

Through my years of experimenting the one thing I've become quite good at is peeling tomatoes and although most of you probably know how to do this, I thought I'd share how I do it and see if it compares.

Firstly, boil a big pot of water on the stove top.

Secondly, fill a sink with cold water and add a few freezer blocks to that to make it even colder.

Next score a cross shape at the base of your tomatoes.

Then plunge the tomatoes into the boiling water for approx 30 seconds.

Transfer the tomatoes from the boiling water into the cold water and then peel the skins off. It should be really easy as all of the above process loosens the skins.

Now your tomatoes are ready to be boiled into lovely pots of relish or chutneys.

This week I've done a few batches of various relish/chutneys and so far so good, each one is up there with the best I've ever made. As usual I've used recipes by my idol, Sally Wise. Below is a link to her recipes which she has on ABC online. Also, if you're interested in what she's about, check out her blog with all the inspiring food she makes and creates at sallywise.com.au

Tomato Chutney

Tomato Chilli Relish/Pickle

Plum Wostershire Sauce

Zucchini Pickles

If you're not someone who usually makes preserves, I'd recommend having a go at relish if you can get your hands on some sauce tomatoes. There's nothing quite like it and it can be smothered on meats, put in curries n stews or slathered on toast with cheese. So versatile and so yummy (and not too hard to make.)

Note: all the above recipes make quite a lot, so you can always halve the recipes if you don't think you will need as much as the recipe would make. I tend to do this and I still always make enough to give some away to family and friends.