We still have some tomatoes in the vineyard greenhouse, and they're still ripening - but all the outdoor plants have tomatoes that are staying green. There was a huge bag of them, so they've all been chutneyed!
You can tweak this recipe however you like - you could add more chilli, or leave it out altogether, or add other spices like clove or ginger. And it doesn't matter what type of vinegar you use really - we used white wine vinegar, so that the finished chutney is a lighter colour and not such a strong vinegary flavour, but using malt vinegar would work just as well.
This is also a good recipe if you aren't a fan of raisins - it uses apples instead, which is also great for using all the windfalls that are around at the moment!
What you will need:
- a large, heavy-bottomed pan
- some clean, sterilised glass jars (heat them in the oven to 80 degrees Centigrade for ten minutes just before you use them)
- a ladle and jam funnel, or a jug to pour chutney into the jars.
The recipe:
- 1kg green tomatoes, chopped
- 1kg apples (cookers or eaters, weighed before you prepare them), peeled, cored and chopped
- 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 200g sugar (granulated or brown)
- 200ml vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 chillies, chopped (use the seeds too, if you like it hot!)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 6 cloves (if you like)
Method:
- Put everthing into your large, heavy bottomed pan, and bring it gently to the boil, stirring at first to dissolve the sugar.
- You need to boil it to drive off the liquid and make the mixture thicken. This could take two hours, but keep checking it to make sure that it isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning!
- When you can pull your spoon along the bottom of the pan and it doesn't cover the pan again straight away, it's thick enough.
- Fill your pre-warmed, sterilised glass jars with the mixture. Seal with the original lids, and don't forget to label the jars!
- This chutney is best kept for three weeks to mature before you start using it. If you can wait that long!