Tomato Raisin Chutney

Looking for another recipe for that excess of garden tomatoes? A few weeks ago I posted a recipe for my end of the season corn salsa and received a number of requests for another dish I make annually.. tomato raisin chutney. This recipe has been a staple in my holiday gift baskets for years! I hope you'll enjoy it equally as much. The recipe can be easily doubled. At the end of the growing season and after all my roasted tomatoes and Grandma's piccallili have been made, this fresh tomato raisin chutney has always been a favorite. It's a great compliment to many dishes..but we like it with fish dishes as well as pork. A friend also told me she emulsifies this chutney and uses it as a basting glaze for her chicken dishes as well. However you decide to serve it, it's always a hit around here!



Tomato Raisin Chutney

1 TBLS vegetable oil
3 cups chopped onion
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
8-10 medium garden tomatoes. diced
1 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cups golden raisins
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onions until almost brown. Add fennel seeds and coriander seeds and cook for 2-4 minutes. Add tomatoes, vinegar, and sugar. Simmer on low for 1 hour. Blend lightly and leave a bit chunky. Stir in sea salt, raisins and walnuts. Let cool and refrigerate or can and process. This recipe will keep up to three weeks refrigerated. Enjoy!

Beer-battered cod

Years ago I snipped a newspaper clipped recipe for beer battered onion rings as I wanted to try making those 'blooming onions' that were so popular back then. Well my onions turned out just awful and soggy :( Not exactly the way I had wished for.
So I held on to the recipe to try again and then just never did.

But when a good friend brought me some fresh caught cod I dug out my clipping to give it another try, so I fried up some fluffy beer-battered cod. It's just such an easy recipe and you can easily use it for fish, shrimp or if you are a master onion ring maker, unlike myself ..even them. I still can't figure out what I did wrong? This isn't the healthiest of options for preparing fish, but I had not made fried fish in eons.. it was just time. I served it with my roasted red pepper remoulade.



Beer Battered Cod

8 TBLS flour
2 eggs, separated
2 TBLS olive oil
8 TBLS flat beer, at room temperature - I used Corona
Sea salt, white pepper to taste
1 1/2 lbs cod, halibut or any white fish cut into 2 inch pieces
2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp paprika
Vegetable oil for frying
Fresh lemons

Put the flour in a large bowl and whisk in the olive oil and egg yolk. Gradually whisk in the flattened beer to make a smooth batter. Season with sea salt. Allow to stand for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in another bowl toss the cut fish pieces, coriander, pepper, paprika and refrigerate until the batter is ready.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or paper towels.

In a deep skillet over medium high heat, pour vegetable oil to 2 inches.

Now whisk the egg whites in a small bowl until stiff, but still moist and fold it into the batter. Working in small batches and not overcrowding the pan, dip the fish into batter and fry until golden brown all over, about 3 minutes. Transfer the fish to prepared baking sheet and into the oven to keep it hot until serving time. Serve with lemon slices, tartar sauce or red pepper remoulade... a good Italian Pinot Grigio or an ice cold bottle of beer. Enjoy!




Roasted Red Pepper Remoulade

1 jar roasted red peppers, drained
½ cup mayonnaise
2 TBLS lemon juice
¼ cup sweet relish
1 TBLS worchestershire sauce
1 TBLS Dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves
Toss it all into your food processor along with a bit of tobasco, fresh chopped parsley, a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar, sea salt & ground pepper. Enjoy!

End of the season corn salsa

We squeaked by hurricane Bill with little damage to the gardens, but then Dan moved in the following week and raised havoc! With pounding winds and heavy rains twenty four rows of corn knocked down like bowling pins with ears ready to be picked :( Hundreds of sunflowers and pole beans uprooted. With the help of friends we managed to get most of it harvested. So to celebrate the days' hard work, we had a very impromto cookout and everyone brought a different dish. With nearly a bushel of tomatoes and my new fallen corn I decided to make some fresh tomato and corn salsa to serve along with roasted corn on the cob and a tomato raisin chutney that's always a hit around here.



Tomato Corn Salsa

2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cup fresh corn kernals (cobs previously steamed a few minutes)
1/4 cup scallions
1/2 cup red onions, diced fine
1/2 jar hearts of palm, rinsed & chopped
1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp hot pepper sauce (I like to toss in a couple of minced jalapenos)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
sea salt, white pepper to taste
black beans **opt

After you've steamed corn and allowed it to cool completely, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Blend together well, cover and chill. Serve with white corn tortilla chips, or try some of these 'Scoops' that hungry crowds enjoy salsas with. Enjoy!