“Once, while I was in Mariupol, friends treated me to some incredibly delicious canned tomatoes. I jotted down the recipe, mastered it, and now I make these preserves myself, calling them ‘Mariupol-style tomatoes.’
When I make them, I use 44 pounds of ripe tomatoes, 2 celery roots, 2 parsley roots, 2 parsnip roots, half a horseradish root, 1 head of garlic, 2 carrots, 1 bunch of parsley, 1 bunch of dill, 1 bunch of celery greens, hot pepper, and salt to taste. I peel all the roots and grind them through a meat grinder, finely chop the greens, mix everything together, and season the mixture with salt and pepper.
For each tomato, I make a crosswise cut about 2 to 3 inches deep, fill the cut with the mixture, and pack the tomatoes into 3-liter jars. I pour warm brine over the jars. The brine is 3 liters of water, 100 grams of salt, 100 grams of sugar, and 100 grams of vinegar. I sterilize the jars for 15 minutes.”
