Tomato Relish

Intro 

My mother in law, Nancy Ransom, was a terrific cook. She made gorgeous tomato relish and sauce, bottled peaches by the ton and always had baking in the tins. Cheese cakes (queen cakes?), chocolate and banana cakes with hundreds and thousands and crunchy Astrid biscuits. She never made scones - that was  her husband Des's territory and he was a master at them - although she could whip up Cheese Puffs for unannounced visitors practically while the jug boiled! I'll share all of Nan's recipes that I have. They are a family legacy and it will be nice to share them publicly so her kids and grandkids can have them to. 

Recipe

Boil gently together for 1 hour:

• 4 pounds ((2 kgs) tomatoes - sliced
• 4 large onions - sliced
• 325ml malt vinegar
• 1 pound (454g) sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 and half teaspoons dry mustard

Mix together 1 tablespoon cornflour with a little water, add to the simmering relish and bring to the boil for 1 minute. Pour into hot clean glass jars.

Grape Sauce

Intro

A yummy variation on tomato sauce, I collected this recipe over the fence when I was a Child Bride. Our neighbours, Bruce and Julie Gallagher, had a grape vine and used to make this sauce from the ones not quite sweet enough to just eat. 

Recipe

Simmer together gently in a preserving pan for 1.25 - 1.5 hours or until beginning to thicken:

• 2 kg grapes
• 5 cups vinegar
• 4 cups sugar
• 4 teaspoons salt
• half teaspoon cayenne pepper
• half teaspoon black pepper corns
• 2 teaspoons whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Skim seeds and spices off and blend for 5-10 seconds. Bottle in hot clean bottles. 

NB This can be quite thin sometimes ... seems to vary. Occasionally I have helped it thicken with a few teaspoons of cornflour mixed to a thin cream with cold water, then stirred into the simmering sauce stirring all the while.

Tomato Sauce

Intro

Another one of Nancy Ransom's recipes - and its so yummy. I havn't made this for ages but I used to do a big cookup every year when I could buy tomatoes by the boxful from the market gardens for about $4. Des used to grow magnificent beefsteak tomatoes in his glasshouse - big as your palm - and I guess thats how come Nan accumulated these recipes utilizing the surplus.

A kitchen whizz is fine for chopping everything up and also for whizzing afterwards before bottling.

Recipe

Simmer together in preserving pan for 2.5 hours:

• 6 pounds tomatoes, chopped roughly (3kgs)
• 2 pounds onions, sliced (1 kg)
• 2 pounds apples, chopped roughly (1 kg)
• 3lb sugar (1.5 kg)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 15g ground ginger
• 15g garlic

Tie these together in a square of muslin and throw in as well:

• 15g whole allspice
• 15g whole cloves
• 15g whole peppercorns

After the 2.5 hours is up, add vinegar and simmer for another half hour

• 1.125 litres malt vinegar

Remove muslin and bottle (in really hot sterilized bottles).