Tomato Preserves

This recipe for tomato sauce is a spicy preserve to accompany grilled meats and yields from 8 to 10 pints

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds ripe tomatoes
• 2 pounds green apples
• 2 pounds onions
• 4 cups malt or red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic
• 5 cups white sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 tablespoon ground ginger

Method:

1. Wash fruit; remove skins from tomatoes in a boiling water bath.
2. Peel apples and onions.
3. Slice all fruit, using a slicing blade in a food processor or by hand.
4. Peel and crush garlic.
5. Place tomatoes, apples, onions, garlic, salt and vinegar in a large pan.
6. Bring to the boil and simmer gently over a low heat until the juice from the fruit begins to run; continue stirring until the fruit has all softened and become mushy. This will take approximately one hour; stir well at this stage to prevent fruit from sticking to bottom of pan.
7. Pass mixture through a sieve or blend with a hand held blender.
8. Into sieved mixture add sugar and spices and return to the boil at a fairly high heat for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
9. Bottle and seal as per the jam and sauce.