Spicy Tomato Relish

We just had another beautiful week end at the coast with a great bunch of friends. I went crazy and cooked quite a few dishes out of the Jerusalem cookbook by Ottolenghi. These cookbooks are so good. Put one on your Xmas list if you don't have any. Refreshingly different from the normal, but then I have always loved Middle Eastern  and Jewish food. Really interesting salads and meat dishes, wonderful pulses and grains with spices, delicious! A lot of it not expensive either, but beautiful fresh ingredients and perfect for a big crowd. There are lots of sauces and condiments in them too, a lot based on garlic and lemon.
I am a huge relish, sauce and condiment fan. Maybe I need to write a new recipe book, just for sauces and relishes.
I particularly love making them at Xmas time and this tomato relish is a favourite. They are a great hostess gift or simply lovely to bring out to smarten up the barbequed meat or spread on a yummy sandwich, or fabulous on the morning after bacon and egg roll. Pretty good on a cheese platter with some cheddar or on some toast under a poached egg. Also fabulous to have with pies, sausage rolls or on a burger. Use your imagination ! Far more glamorous than the Aussie tomato sauce from a bottle. The following recipe is as always adaptable. You could add some chillies if you prefer it spicy hot. Start small, maybe 2 and taste as you go.





1 kilo red tomatoes
500 grams onion chopped
4 cloves garlic crushed
400 grams white sugar
500 mls white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds


Chop the onions and garlic and sauté in a little olive oil, in the saucepan you are going to cook the relish. Chop the tomatoes into large dice and add to the onion, garlic mixture with the white wine vinegar. Add the sugar and stir through and bring to a gentle simmer. Finally add the cumin, Worcestershire sauce and yellow mustard seeds. Simmer gently on the stove top, stirring about very ten minutes. As the mixture thickens and reduces it will spit as you stir so be careful. It takes approximately an hour to cook. It should be quite thick.
Spoon into sterilised jars.