A Cook-In

Left-Hand pot is another Lentil Stew which, this time will include some Broccoli. BTW lentils, broccoli and olive oil has, just today in fact, been heralded as THE most healthy diet but I digress.....Right-Hand pot is my Green Tomato Chutney (which I am making up as I go along because I can't find the beloved recipe I used before back in the good old days) and in the oven is this week's Chicken. Talk about slaving over a hot stove!! For my own good I've decided to record the Chutney recipe I'm making up right here and now so that, if it's any good at the end of the day, I'll know what I did.............

First, though....I have had to cheat because my 2 plants are not yielding enough fruit so I've bought some extra fruit in BUT there is a bonus..... my little cherries are on a vine, where all the flavour is, so the cut vines complete are going to go in the pot.

Green Tomato Chutney
INGREDIENTS
4 big (and I do mean BIG) Green Tomatoes
5 or 6 Vines of Cherry Tomatoes, green of course. (Not all mine were completely "set"....still with flowers at the outer end.)
3 inch piece of fresh ginger
1 cup water
1 cup white wine vinegar
7 tablespoons brown (demerara I used) sugar
1 tablespoon curry powder (a fairly potent one.)
1 teaspoon salt

PREP
Roughly cut up the big tomatoes
Cut complete Cherry Tomato vines from the plants.
Trim the ginger and finely chop without peeling.

METHOD
Basically, chuck everything into a pot, cover, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer, and hope!!

Believe me! this is Live! go in with a potato masher once things have begun to really soften (after an hour or so??) and give them a helping hand, but don't go too mad - texture is a pleasure as well!!

Things are well mushy? A couple of hours have passed? OK, remove the lid and start to reduce to a thick consistency - how thick? Up to you!! Love a good stir? Now is your chance - let nothing stick!!

Happy? You are in charge of your pot, no-one else! OK. Cool things down, remove the de-nuded vines before bottling into sterilized jars and sending one to Lisa c/o Torremolinos!! (but don't mention my name for chris'sakes!)

Flippancy aside, my tastings tell me it`s not bad (and quite close to what I remember) so repeat with a kilo or so of green toms when you need to, or even here if you don't have the infamous cherry vines on hand. BTW - The E-number count? Zilch! Nada! None! I feel happy, oh so happy- can`t remember the rest!!!

Lisa? Gracias para todo, te quiero!