Apple and tomato relish

Canning fruits and vegetables is very common in Ukraine. People often living in small city apartments but pretty often they have a little summer house outside of the city with the little garden. Gardening for many becomes a great way to relieve stress of daily routine and of course, this is an opportunity to make some food preserves for winter. Many using their  family recipes which are often kept as a secret and being passed from generation to generation. Many however are sharing their recipes with others.

This one I got from my mother many years ago. This type of relish is often served as a side dish, with cooked meat or like a snack between meals. It can also be canned.

You will need:

1lbs tomatoes

2 medium carrots

2 medium bell peppers

2 apples

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 chili pepper

3/4 cup of olive oil

Salt and pepper

Thoroughly wash the fruits and vegetables. Remove the steam and seeds from the peppers, core and stem from the apples. Peel the garlic and carrots. Dip the tomatoes in boiling water for several seconds, remove them and peel off the skin.

 Roughly chop all vegetables except the garlic. Add the chopped vegetables to a blender or large vegetable chopper and mince until almost a paste but you can still see a pieces in it. Transfer all the ingredients except the garlic into a large pot and bring it to a boil. 

Reduce heat and cook on a low setting for about 2 hours, stirring as needed. Mince garlic and add it to your pot. Bring to boil, add salt and pepper to taste, stir and reduce the heat to medium and let it cook for additional 15 minutes.

Let it cool and serve it chilled with fresh baked bread.

Enjoy!