Fruity red tomato relish preserves the wonderful colour and flavour of ripe tomatoes. It adds a rich spicy flavour to your meals. This recipe has minimal added sugar and no added salt.

Fruity Red Tomato Relish

Makes about 2 litres

Preparation time 20 minutes

Cooking time 45 minutes or until the relish thickens

Ingredients

• 2kg chopped ripe tomatoes
• 500g peeled, cored and diced granny smith apples
• 500g diced mixed dried fruit
• 125g sultanas
• 125g raisons
• 250g white wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic
• 5cm of freshly grated ginger (about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon dried ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• Juice and zest of one lemon. I use the juice to cover the diced apple to prevent browning.

Method

1. Heat vinegar, sugar, lemon zest and spices on medium heat. Bring to the boil.
2. Add the remaining ingredients.
3. Mix fruity red tomato relish ingredients well. Maintain heat to allow the relish to simmer.
4. Check and stir the relish about every 15 minutes. Taste and season as required with sugar and spices.
5. About half way through the cooking time, wash your jars and lids in warm soapy water. Rinse them well and then dry them in a preheated oven (100^oC).
6. Once the fruity red tomato relish is cooked, spoon into sterilised jars and seal with the sterilised lids.
7. If you are refrigerating your relish, leave sealed jars to cool prior to placing them into the refrigerator. The relish will store well for several months.
8. You may like to heat seal the jars, which allows for cupboard storage. Please refer to the green tomato relish recipe for the heat preservation instructions.

Enjoying Fruity Red Tomato Relish

Fruity red  tomato relish is a lovely accompaniment to meat, egg and lentil dishes. It also adds flavour to a savoury pastry, such as a pie, or a sandwich.