Saturday 30 July 2011

A great apple chutney recipe

This recipe comes from 'Easy Jam, Chutneys and Preserves' by Val and John Harrison.  John has excellent 'waste lady' credentials, having also written, 'Low-Cost Living' and 'The Essential Allotment Guide'. 



They claim that you can say that this is a secret family recipe and certainly the feedback I got was very positive.  I did however make a couple of tweaks. I prefer to use cider vinegar rather than malt; Waitrose Essentials range offer a reasonably priced version, just under a pound.  I also used Church Farm apples, which were a mix of cookers and eaters, with some cidery ones.. Would the recipe work so well with windfalls from the apple trees in my local park?  It's worth trying.



The most expensive ingredient was the two packets of Schwartz pickling spice and I intend to research recipes for this and consider buying in bulk.  More details to follow.

Chutneys are best eaten after two months when the flavour will have improved.  They will keep for up to a year, but only if the jars have been sterilized.  The easiest and simplest way to do this is to place the jars upright on a baking sheet with the lids beside them in a low oven for about ten minutes or so.

One final piece of advice. I originally intended making this recipe after a convivial night out with friends, full of confidence and joie de vivre.  Don't.  When I did embark on the recipe the next day, it took three hours to make the chutney.  It takes all that time to absorb every drop of water and the chutney is all the better for it.  You can see how the chutney reduces and changes colour in the pictures below.


Apple Chutney

Ingredients

900g (2lb) cooking apples
225g (8oz) onions
225g (8oz) sultanas or raisins
1 teaspoon salt
855ml (1.5 pints) distilled malt (white) vinegar
56g (2oz) mixed pickling spice
2 teaspoons ground ginger
450g (1lb) soft brown sugar

Method


Peel, core and slice the apples.  Peel and chop the onions.

Put the apples, onions, raisins or sultanas and salt into a pan with vinegar.  Tie the pickling spice in the muslin bag and add to the pan. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat and simmer until tender.  Remove the spice and add the ginger.

Add the sugar, stir until it has dissolved, and continue to simmer until chutney is thick, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Pot into hot, clean, sterilized jars immediately and seal.
Label with contents once fully cooled.

1 comment:

  1. The last time I made this, I used apples from a local garden and Green Cuisine Pickling Spice which at 99p from our local greengrocer's was much cheaper!

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