I'm going to type insome of what the author of Tomato Imperative! wrote about this recipe. She wrote: My grandmother made such wonderful mincemeat out of beef or venison neck meat that I had always prided myself on making only that kind of mincemeat before we wrote this book. Then I realized I would have to give this a try, and guess what? It's delicious-yummy as an accompaniment to meat, and it has a great affinity for cream cheese when spread on thin slices of brown bread. Most wonderfully of all, it is used in the filling of the Italian Green Tomato Mince meat Tart (if anyone wants that recipe, let me know). The suet gives it a special flavor, but if you wish to omit it you can substitute butter. It keeps practically forever in the refrigerator, but you should can it in pint jars in a boiling water bath for 20 mins. to be safe. (I thought you couldn't do recipes with butter, or does she mean you can it with suet, and use butter if you're not going to can it?)

2 C. beef suet, chopped

3 green tomatoes (l lb.), cored and chopped

1 Granny Smith apple, chopped

zest and juice of 1 lemon

zest and juice of 1 lime

1/4 C. cider vinegar, cider, or hard cider

1 quarter-sized round of fresh gingerroot, smashed and chopped

1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 onion, sliced in 1" shards

1 1/4 C. brown sugar

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. ground coriander

1/2 t. salt

1/4 C. golden raisins

1/4 C. dry sherry

4 T. pine nuts, toasted

In a large, heavy bottomed pan, render the suet over medium heat until crackling. Stir in green tomatoes, apple, zests and juices, vinegar, gingerroot, nutmeg, onion, brown sugar, cinnamon, coriander, and salt. Cook over low heat with the cover cocked, stirring often, for about 1/2 hr.

Meanwhile, put raisins to macerate in the sherry.

When the mincemeat is thick and syrupy, correct seasonings and stir in the raisins, sherry, and pine nuts.

In case you didn't read the first part of the posting, can you can this with butter, or just if you use the suet? Anybody?

Terry