Gorgeous Red Tomato Chutney Recipe
In recent months I have quickly become totally addicted to making preserves such as marmalade and chutney. Not only is this a fantastic way to avoid wastage of crops you have grown a glut of, but it is also an easy to make Christmas present for friends and family. Few things are as delicious and festive at Christmas time than a tasty chutney served on your cheese and crackers or on top of cold turkey and other meats. Any chutney will work well used in this way so a lovely Christmas gift would be a selection of maybe three jars of various kinds of home made chutney.
Ideally chutney needs about three months to mature before eating and therefore it is best made in September and October when there is usually an abundance of certain crops available such as courgettes, tomatoes, apples etc. Chutneys made around this time should be ready to eat over Christmas and into the New Year. If you really want to plan ahead, then why not make it the year before as it will easily keep for over twelve months (and in fact is usually not only perfectly edible a number of years later, but much like a fine wine it will have improved with age). All you need to remember is to store it in a cool dark place such as a cellar or garage until you are ready to eat it.
This article is to share with you my favourite red tomato chutney recipe, although it will work just as well if made using green tomatoes instead. The recipe here will make approximately 4.5 kg or 10 lb of red tomato chutney.
Cook Time
Equipment Required
1 wooden spoon
1 stainless steel or heavy based saucepan (not aluminium)
1 stainless steel jam funnel (optional, but less messy)
Approximately 10 x 450 g or 1 lb preserving jars
1 pair of metal tongs
1 ladle
Labels
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) ripe red tomatoes
- 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) red onions
- 450 g (1 lb) cooking apples
- 750 g (1 lb 10 oz) sultanas
- 750 g (1 lb 10 oz) brown sugar
- 1 tblspn salt
- 3 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 tsp ground green cardamom seeds
- 1.5 litres (2.6 UK pints) distilled malt vinegar
Instructions
- Peel and chop up your onions into small pieces.
- Skin your tomatoes by scoring a cross into the skin at the bottom of each one using a sharp knife, then submerge in boiling water for about 30 seconds or until the skins split. Remove from the boiling water and place in cold water for a few seconds. The skins will then easily slide off and can be discarded.
- Chop the tomatoes roughly.
- Peel, core and chop your cooking apples.
- Place all ingredients into your saucepan.
- Bring the saucepan to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for several hours (stirring occasionally), until the mixture thickens and takes on a glossy sheen.
- Meanwhile wash all your other utensils, jars etc.
- Place the jars and the stainless steel jam funnel the correct way up on a baking tray and place in the oven on 140 degree Celsius for about 10-20 minutes to sterilise.
- Place the lids, tongs and the ladle into a saucepan of boiling water to sterilise.
- Remove jars from the oven and place the baking tray next to your saucepan of chutney.
- Use the sterilised ladle to fill each jar through the jam funnel to within about of the top, (being very careful not to touch the inner surfaces of either the jar or the funnel to avoid contamination).
- Use the sterilised tongs to remove the lids from the boiling water and place on top of each jar. Hold the jar in a cloth and tighten the lids.
- Leave to cool overnight before labelling with the contents and the date the following day.
I really hope you enjoy this recipe and strongly suggest you make some quickly so you can sample it over the Christmas period, although it is just as lovely all year round, on any meats (hot or cold) or with cheese and biscuits. Once you have tried this recipe I am sure you will be keen to try more. My other chutney and marmalade recipes can be found by visiting my profile page (link below my photo at the top right of this page). Hopefully you will find a recipe that sets your taste buds tingling and inspires you to have a go for yourself.
