Pickled Tomatoes

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             FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks again to Rosemary Zwick for sending us this one:

Mitch decided to go fishing, and set off walking along the bank of a
wild scenic river. He'd walked for a couple miles and hadn't seen even
the hint of another human being. Shortly, he came across a sign that
said "NO POACHING" and warned that violators would be fined $500. Mitch
looked at the sign, shrugged and walked on.

About midday, he found the perfect fishing hole. He put down his pack,
took up his fishing pole and cast the line. In no time at all he was
hauling in these huge trout. Not wanting to be greedy, Mitch decided to
stop at 5 fish. He cleaned 2 of them, built a fire, got a frying pan out
of his pack and went about cooking a meal.

As the fish were frying, a Game Warden approached. "Howdy," said Mitch. "Been fishin'."

"I see..." said the Warden.

"Yep. Caught some real beauts," Mitch agreed.

"Uh huh. Tell me, did you happen to see a 'no poaching' sign down stream a ways?"

"Sure did. Big sign. Couldn't miss it."

"Well, looks like you're gonna have to pay a $500 fine."

"What for?" Mitch asked, puzzled.

The Game Warden nodded toward the frying pan full of fish. "For poaching, of course!"

"Poaching?" said Mitch glancing first at the fish and then at the man.
"Officer, you don't know a lot about cooking, do you!"

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             TODAY'S RECIPE
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Readers with a bountiful tomato harvest at the end of the summer will
particularly appreciate this recipe, which offers an alternative to
stewing and canning tomatoes.

Pickled Tomatoes

2 lbs (900 g) firm ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 - 2 jalapeño chilies, chopped (with seeds)
1 cup (250 ml) white vinegar
3 Tbs (45 ml) sugar
1 Tbs (15 ml) salt
1/2 cup (125 ml) olive oil
4 - 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 Tbs (30 ml) whole black peppercorns
1 Tbs (15 ml) each mustard seed, fennel seed, celery seed

Combine the tomatoes and jalapeño in a large bowl. Combine the vinegar,
sugar, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat.
Cook until sugar and salt are dissolved and the mixture is clear. Remove
from heat and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over moderate
heat. Cook the garlic, mustard seed, fennel seed, and celery seed, and
peppercorns just until they are fragrant, less than 1 minute. Remove
from the heat and add the vinegar mixture. Pour over tomatoes, stirring
gently to mix well. Refrigerate covered for at least 3 days, or place in
sterilized jars with additional vinegar to cover.
Will keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.
Makes about 4 cups (1 L).
Received on Thu Aug 21 17:51:56 2008