Hannah M’s Stewed Tomatoes (sweet)
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Ingredients
- 2 cups small cherry tomatoes
- zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 cloves
- vanilla yoghurt or thick custard (to serve)
Note
Choose tomatoes that have a firm skin. I've reduced the quantities from the original recipe in Mrs Maclurcan's cookery book (1905), as this is probably a recipe you'd like to experiment with to see how it fits with your taste.
While it may not suit our idea of a dessert dish, the syrup has a wonderful flavour and develops a golden hue – next time I'll use it for more conventional fruit! The aromatic cloves will suit rhubarb or plums beautifully.
Directions
| Wash the tomatoes and remove any stalks. To make the syrup, place all the ingredients except the tomatoes in a saucepan along with 1 cup of water, and bring to a simmer over a low heat. Simmer for 20 minutes or until aromatic and a light, amber-coloured syrup forms. (Be careful not to boil the mixture dry – add a little extra water if necessary.) | |
| Add the tomatoes and gently shake the pan to coat the tomatoes in the syrup. Be careful not to break the skins. Continue cooking over a low heat for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes start to soften. Transfer the tomatoes and syrup to a shallow dish and refrigerate. | |
| The original recipe suggests serving the tomatoes with white rice (creamed rice perhaps?), custard or blancmange. You could also try a creamy vanilla or honey yoghurt. | |