Using up tomato and runner bean gluts

This morning I picked about 3kg of tomatoes and 3kg of runner beans on my allotment, and there's a whole lot more!! Vegetables like these can be problematic because unlike gourds, for instance, they don't keep for long and there's so much you can eat before you start looking like a weird bean/tomato hybrid (I already smell herby I am told).

Anyway, I always find that the best way of using up fruit and veg gluts is to make chutneys and jams as they keep for years. In fact, I've found with chutneys the longer you store them before eating, the more flavoursome they become. Last year I made a green tomato and chili chutney and thought it was OK. Now a year on, the same chutney tastes absolutely superb.

So, today I made Runner bean and tomato chutney. Here's the recipe:

1.5kg runner beans (topped, tailed, de-strung and finely sliced)
4 medium onions (finely chopped)
500g tomatoes (peeled and chopped)
300ml malt vinegar
300ml cider vinegar
400g granulated sugar
55g cornflour
2tsp ground mixed spice
2tsp ground coriander
4tsp mustard powder
4tsp grain mustard
4tsp turmeric
2tsp salt

Pop the onions in a large pan with the malt vinegar and all the spices and seasoning. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 10 minutes. Mix the sugar with cider vinegar and add to the onions along with the beans and tomatoes. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 45 minutes until the beans are tender. Take out a little of the liquid from the pan and mix with cornflour into a smooth paste then pour back into the pan and stir until the chutney mixture thickens (a minutes or so). Ladle into hot, sterilized jars and pop the lids on. Done.

Slice the beans diagonally into thin, long shreds.












I like my chutney hot so I put 2tsp of chili flakes in with the beans. Only do this is you like a spicy chutney, otherwise follow the recipe without the chili.











Just couldn't resist arranging the bean slices into flower shapes. The beans are such a lovely vibrant, pink colour. Hmm, it's given me a few craft ideas.







You could also try making a soup with the beans. This recipe couldn't be easier. You simply fry an onion and garlic in some oil in a large saucepan. Wash and de-string the beans thoroughly. This step is important! Stringy soup isn't good. Just peel both sides using an ordinary veg peeler. Slice the beans and add to the saucepan. Add a litre of hot stock (or enough to just cover the beans) along with a good pinch of ground cumin, ground coriander, salt, pepper and a few chilli flakes. Boil until the beans are tender. Blitz with a stick blender and serve with a fresh, crusty bread roll :)

And how about slow roasted tomatoes? These are absolutely delicious. We had them for the first time a few years ago at a friend's house. We have made them a few times since but never with our own tomatoes. After picking about 5kg of tomatoes from my greenhouses there was only one way to use them up. This recipe is, again, very easy and requires almost zero effort which fits in perfectly with my motto for life: minimum input, maximum output.

Wash the tomatoes and quarter them. Pop them on large baking trays, sprinkle liberally with mixed herbs, salt, pepper and chilli flakes and douse with lots of olive oil. Toss a little and pop in the oven on 140C for about 4 hours (yes, 4 hours!). You could, of course, speed things up by halving the time and turning up the temperature to about 180C. I like to let them roast slowly for the flavours to develop to their maximum. Put your feet up and enjoy the aromas. Do check on them occasionally.

Once roasted you could eat them as they are. Store them in an air-tight container in the fridge and use in sandwiches. Alternatively, you could make soup or pasta sauce from them by adding a bit of hot stock and blitzing with a stick blender. Enjoy :)