Thursday 22 July 2010

Sticky Balsamic Reduction Tomato Relish


The first time I heard of Verlaque was at the South African Food Bloggers Conference earlier this year where I received one of their products in my goody bag. I've posted about using Verlaque products on my blog before(Rasberry Balsamic Roasted Butternut) and I will probably post again, but today is a special post. Verlaque is having a competition to see who can come up with the tastiest original recipe using one of the products from the "Balsamic Reduction" range.


I came up with this tomato relish just a few days before the challenge was posted (just in time). I was having dinner at my mother's house, we planned on making salad but when we got home from the shop the baby tomatoes we bought were so bland and flavourless that they just wouldn't cut it in a salad. And so my recipe was born...

My mother was very sceptical when she saw how much balsamic vinegar I added to the tomatoes but after she tasted it she was an instant fan! She even got all enthusiastic about buying salad stuff for when I made the relish again with the Verlaque Balsamic Reduction!


Enough about my family, by now you must be wondering what flavour I used? Originally I wanted to use the Fynbos/Wild Flower Honey Balsamic Reduction but unfortunately I couldn't find any in the Woolworths stores near my home. Second choice was the Sundried Turkish Figs Balsamic Reduction which I luckily did find in store (but in all honesty, I think you can use any flavour that tickles your fancy). The fig flavour turned out pretty tasty, especially when I served it with blue cheese and glazed figs on some rocket leaves. The tomato relish would also work nicely on some bread, perhaps with some cheese and...let me rather stop there and let your imagination dream up the ideal accompaniment to this tomato concoction!


Sticky Balsamic Reduction Tomato Relish
Serves 2 as a salad topping


  • 17 Baby Tomatoes (more or less)
  • 50ml Balsamic Vinegar
  • 25ml Verlaque Sundried Turkish Figs Balsamic Reduction
  • 25ml Chutney
  • Salt and Pepper to taste



  1. Cut the tomatoes in half, place cut side down in a pan.
  2. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the tomatoes.
  3. Simmer on a medium heat. Don't stir the tomatoes while cooking, just move them around from time to time so that they don't stick to your pan and that they stay intact. Your relish is done when the tomatoes are cooked through and the sauce had become nice and sticky.

5 comments :

  1. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm *drool*. I think you'll convert even the staunchest anti-tomato person with this.

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  2. Love a salad with warm ingredients....like these tomatoes, onions etc...it just adds so much depth!!!

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  3. Thanks Marisa and Nina for the comments, I looooove tomatoes in any form! Since I found out that there are so much more salad leaf varieties out there than just plain old lettuce a whole new world of salad has opened up to me!

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  4. sounds great - I have recently bought the same bottle so will give this a try

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  5. Wonderful wonderful stuff. Well done. I am a tomato loverer delux hehe.

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