Jollop Recipe

Well, it's been a busy summer, hence the prolonged absence. In that time, I have been garnishing some recipe ideas for healthy cooking and eating. This is very important to me and many others. One cannot trust in any way most of what can be bought in a shop that passes for food.

So, it is with that in mind, I have increased my efforts to make as much of the food that I eat from fresh ingredients, bought from locally produced outlets where possible and if it is reduced in price, that is good too. For instance, on a recent trip to the local grocery store/supermarket, I happened upon a glut of tomatoes, reduced in price, waiting for someone like me to snap them up! That I did for I was reliably informed that tomatoes can be frozen. Yes, that's correct, they can be frozen for use later in cooking or pickling as we shall be doing in this recipe. So, look out for vegetable or fruit that you can freeze which is reduced. Now, I have some 100 tomatoes and my friend is now called 'the mad tomato woman' for she cannot stop buying them! So, without further ado, the recipe.

This jollop, which is a slang term used to describe a concoction, a mix, a blend of ingredients, is something that has become a major ingredient itself in my cooking. Essentially, one can eat it as a pickle, like a dip or use as I do as the flavouring and base for other recipes which will follow. So here it is:

Jollop (Fresh Pickle)

Chopped onions, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber
Teaspoon each of thyme, oregano/marjoram, coriander, dill, basil, sage
A little salt and pepper or paprika

Put your favourite ingredients from the above in a clean jam-jar
Top up with cider vinegar and extra-virgin olive-oil - I suggest mixing the cider vinegar and extra virgin olive oil 50/50 in another bottle which will make it easier to dispense and that mix works fine for me

Shake well and leave for a few hours before eating (You can put all ingredients in a chopper first if you want) Can be eaten fresh or used as a cooking flavouring.

Now, the quantities above are for one jar of jollop. I had so many tomatoes, that I ended up with several jars of the stuff! But that is just fine, for whenever I want to flavour something else quickly, all I have to do is chuck some of the jollop in the pan before! So, once you have made a batch, it will keep very well in the fridge and be there, which means you do not have to spend time chopping garlic and onions and all the other nice things every time you need to cook. Simple!
The Portal of Healing.