Tomato and Chili Chutney
You can always tell if it’s been a good tomato growing season in my gifts at Christmas. If the I’ve had a bumper crop of homegrown tomatoes than I will always use a haul for making chutney. I usually make my chutney in September or October - whenever I get the biggest number of ripe tomatoes in one go. You can mix and match the tomatoes you use too so if you’ve not got the required weight in one variety then add anything you’ve got or top up with some shop bought tomatoes too.
I’ve also included homegrown onions and apples from my neighbours tree so this is a real homegrown chutney you can be proud of. Of course if you’ve not grown your own veg this year all of the ingredients are readily available at supermarkets and farm shops.
Jarring it up is easy too, you don’t need a pressure can machine, you can simply time your dishwasher to end around the time you want to jar up the chutney so the jars are hot and sterile. If you don’t have a dishwasher you can sterilise jars in a near boiling water in a saucepan. It’s important that your jar and your chutney are hot when you fill them so that the air trapped inside condenses as it cools and seals the lid and ensures it lasts longer.
You don’t need to buy special jars either. By thinking ahead and saving a few in the months before you can ensure this edible gift is as economical as possible. I tend to use smaller jars from things like pesto and capers, as opposed to full size jam jars. You can make more to gift and people are more likely to eat it all than if you’ve given them enough to last a lifetime. Use white vinegar to scrub off any existing labels or sticky residue so they are clean to label up yourself.
I’ve made this one predominantly in the slow cooker as it’s the cheapest kitchen appliance to run, and you can throw it all together at the start of the day and get on with everything else whilst it cooks away nicely. You can keep cooking it in the slow cooker set to high with the lid off to thicken it at the end, or transfer it into a wide and deep pan to evaporate the liquid that is left. If you don’t have a slow cooker at all then you can simply do this on the hob on a simmering heat - keep stirring to it doesn’t stick and burn, and stop once the chunks are soft and the mixture has thickened (it could be 1-2 hours).
Once your chutney is made and jarred I recommend leaving it in a dark cupboard for at least 2 months. Something about the acidity in the vinegar dissipates over time so it’s not quite as tart if it’s had time to settle.
There are so many chutney recipes out there but here is the one I made this year mainly using the indigo pear drop tomatoes I grew from seed. It made 5 small jars of chutney, so if your slow cooker is bigger you can easily double the quantities to make more.
INGREDIENTS
1 kg homegrown tomatoes (any variety)
5 padron chili peppers (deseeded)
1 homegrown white onion (large)
2 garlic cloves
1 tbs mustard powder
1 homegrown apple peeled and chopped into small chunks
250g dark brown sugar
230ml (1 cup) cider vinegar
70ml (1/3 cup) malt vinegar
METHOD
Turn your slow cooker on to low
Chop the homegrown tomatoes into small pieces and add to the slow cooker
In a food processor blitz together the onion, chilli peppers and garlic until coarse. Stir through the tomatoes in the slow cooker
Add the chopped apple, mustard powder, sugar, cider vinegar and malt vinegar. Stir through to evenly mix
Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours
Uncover and cook on high for 1 hour allowing the chutney to thicken - if you find this doesn’t work you can transfer the chutney to a deep wide pan and simmer gently for 20 minutes until liquid has evaporated and the chutney mixture thickens
Spoon carefully into hot sterilised jars and seal immediately. As they cool the lids should pop down to completely seal.
Label your jars and your chutney is ready to store for 1-2 months before eating (or gifting!)
