Autumn Harvest
What a fantastic time of the year it is. The summer sun has filled the garden to busting with crops producing vast amounts of sun-drenched produce. Courgettes, peppers, eggplants and tomatoes, red onions: the med range. Carrots, beetroot, early parsnips and new season’s kumara. The roots and tubers for roasting, grilling and steaming. Basil, coriander, chillies, parsley and French tarragon. The herbs for pesto’s, oils and marinating.
In the kitchen it’s a time to think of the pantry. How to convert all that produce into goodness to have on a rainy day. To have on a day when the garden is bare. Chutneys, relishes, oils, jams and sauces and all its variations.
Below is a great recipe for taking tomatoes into the next season.
Tomato Kasundi
4-5 kgs tomatoes
150g salt
200g yellow mustard seeds
100g black mustard seeds
250ml peanut oil
200g cumin
200g coriander seeds
100g fresh turmeric
Fresh chillies to taste
450g ginger, grated
4 heads garlic
20 stems curry leaves
800g sugar
1.5 litres white wine vinegar
Method
Chop tomatoes coarsely, put in bowl, sprinkle with salt, cover and set aside overnight. Fry off the mustard seeds in a small amount of oil gently until they pop. Roast and grind the cumin and coriander seeds in 1/2 cup of oil. Fry off all spices until fragrant. Drain tomatoes and discard the juice and brush off all the excess salt. Add to the pan with all the remaining ingredients. Simmer gently uncovered stirring frequently for 1 1/2 hrs. Set aside to cool before pouring into sterilized jars. Don’t be afraid to increase the amount of tomatoes to 5 kgs in this recipe. Use curry powder to taste as a replacement to the curry leaves if you can’t get them.
Enjoy.
