Tomatoes

With our summer heat getting stronger, tomatoes are getting riper and juicier on the vine and ever more ready to grace our tables. Here’s two very quick and easy recipes – one savoury and one sweet that could easily be incorporated into Christmas lunch.

Easy Tomato Salsa (serves 4)

Ingredients
4-6 medium tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
½ red onion very finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, chopped
Splash of white wine vinegar
½ lime, juiced
½ bunch coriander, roughly chopped (If you don’t like coriander, use parsley as a substitute)
Method
Combine the tomatoes, red onion, garlic, white wine vinegar, lime juice and coriander in a bowl. Stir, then refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with carrot sticks, cucumber spears, corn chips, and slices of radish.

Sweet Tomato Jam (yields 2 cups)

(Better Homes and Gardens recipe)
Ingredients
3 cups chopped tomatoes
1 ¾ cups of red and/or yellow cherry tomatoes
½ cup sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cayenne pepper (if desired)
Method
In a saucepan combine tomatoes, sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Bring to boiling, stirring often. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 35 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat.
Transfer to a bowl; cool.
Serve or store covered in refrigerator up to 3 days. Makes eight ¼ cup servings. You can serve your tomato jam with cheese and crackers. You can also make puff pastry tarts with it – cook the puff pastry in a ‘fruit mince tart’ tin, add the jam during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Once out of the oven and cold, add some goat’s cheese and a sprig of parsley to each tart – delicious!

• Topics:

• Food
• Health & Wellbeing