October 1, 2009 | Condiments, Technique
Believe it or not, I still have over a hundred green and slightly pink tomatoes on my plants, so figured it was time to start harvesting and doing something with them. I ran across a recipe for a green tomato relish on The Atlantic online that seemed easy and a perfect way to use a bunch of these beauties.
The Atlantic recipe only called for simmering until it was slightly thickened. Because I have a tendency to try to multi-task (which they say kills brain cells by the way), I left mine on a bit too long, but was happy with the much thicker result. This heaven is smashing on top of a cracker with some goat cheese and I plan to serve it tonight for a part on a slightly warmed wheel of brie.
Start with 8-10 medium green tomatoes…
…and quarter them.
Do the same with 2-3 onions. I used standard issue white onions because that’s what I had on hand, but a Vidalia or other sweet onion would be good.
Put them into the food processor and pulse until you get this consistency. You don’t want to overly puree it like you would if making my Green Tomato Bread.
Then add the remaining ingredients – 4 cups brown sugar…
…one 12-ounce jar of orange marmalade (the bitter Seville type is best), cider vinegar, and some crushed red pepper.
It will look like a big pot of glop like this. Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer it until it’s really thick and jam-like.
If you’re lucky, you’ll have a little bit left in the pot that you can snack on while the jars are boiling away! Use the relish as an appetizer condiment with cheese trays, a relish on pork tenderloin, or simmer chicken breasts in it.Green Tomato Relish
Yields about 6 cups
Adapted from The Atlantic online8-10 medium green tomatoes, cut into wedges
2-3 medium onions, cut into chunks
12 ounces orange marmalade, preferably Seville
4 cups brown sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepperPlace tomatoes and onions into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until chopped into small pieces, but not pureed. Place vegetables in a large saucepan and add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, then cook uncovered until golden brown and quite thick, 1-2 hours. Place in clean, sterilized jars and can, allowing jars 10 minutes to boil in the canner. Alternatively, freeze in plastic bags.
Thanks for this awesome recipe! I have a question, though. I have a pot of this on the stove right now, and it’s taking a lot longer than 1-2 hours to become “quite thick.” Should it have a jam-like consistency while hot, or will it thicken more as it cools? Just trying to decide how long to leave it simmering…
Sarah, I don’t actually recall since it’s been a couple of years since I made this how long it took. The water content of your green tomatoes could vary, and it could take longer. I guess the bottom line is to simmer until it’s the consistency you’re happy with, knowing that it will thicken slightly more when it cools. You can see from my photos that mine was really thick – sorry I don’t know how long that took!