Sometimes I get into the groove of canning and with a little preparation the night before I can get quite a few recipes cooked and out of the canner. Tonight I was prepared to meet a challenge of doing four recipes, not because I wanted to, but because I needed to. The tomatoes I have are ready and I hate when they turn to mush. I wanted to do the green tomato chutney to bring a jar to Fairview Farms for Mark who has been super sweet to give me the opportunity to teach the classes. I also promised my mom, since she is leaving in the morning, that I would put together a strawberry rhubarb preserve just the way she wanted it. She loves the pear preserves that I make, which was inspired by her brother, Uncle Garland's recipe. Her description was to keep the strawberries as intact as possible and pair them with the rhubarb from my garden. I also prepped last night the makings for two additional recipes for the evening. Better Homes and Garden Tomato-Rhubarb chutney and an adapted recipe from Better Homes and Garden for the Corn Relish. I posted the recipe for the relish on my FB page this morning and I was ready to make both of these recipes by the time I got home.
Over the next four posts I will write up the recipes and show the pictures of my Monday night extravaganza.
I started with the one less prepared, the Green Tomato Chutney. The bonus of this recipe is not having to peel the green tomatoes. The prep work went quickly and really the longest wait was for the ingredients to get thick like the true consistency of a chutney. The ingredients varied on both sides of the spectrum; the apples and cranberries for the sweet and the ginger, onion, garlic, and vinegar for the savory. The recipe called for cider vinegar and the flavors in the pot after 45 minutes of overall cooking were fantastic. I have come to love the savory sweet of a chutney much more than a basic salsa as a side dish for many foods.
Green Tomato Chutney
2 pounds firm, tart apples
2 cups raisin, either dark or golden (I used dried cranberries)
1 1/2 cups diced onions
2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pickling salt
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar, plus a little more if needed
3 to 4 tablespoons finely minced fresh ginger, to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons mustard seed
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh hot red pepper, OR 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, OR 1/4 teaspoon ground hot red Cayenne pepper
Directions:
Rinse and drain the tomatoes. Cut out the stem scars and any blemishes and cut the tomatoes into 1/2-inch chunks. You should have about 8 cups. Place the tomatoes in a preserving pan or heavy pot.
Peel, core and cut the apples into 1/2-inch chunks; add them to the tomatoes. Add the raisins, onion, garlic, brown and granulated sugar, salt and vinegar. Mix the ingredients well and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and boil the mixture slowly, uncovered, stirring it often, for 30 minutes.
Add the ginger, mustard seed, coriander, cinnamon and hot pepper. Return to a boil, adjust the heat and continue to cook the chutney uncovered at a slow boil, stirring it often, until it holds a mounded shape when lifted in a spoon. Taste it carefully, remembering that the balance of flavors will improve as the chutney mellows in the jar; add, if needed, more vinegar, sugar, and/or salt.
Ladle the boiling-hot chutney into hot, clean pint or half-pint canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Seal the jars with new two-piece canning lids according to manufacturer's directions and process for 15 minutes in a boiling-water bath. Cool, label and store the jars. Let the chutney mellow for a few weeks before serving.
Peel, core and cut the apples into 1/2-inch chunks; add them to the tomatoes. Add the raisins, onion, garlic, brown and granulated sugar, salt and vinegar. Mix the ingredients well and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and boil the mixture slowly, uncovered, stirring it often, for 30 minutes.
Add the ginger, mustard seed, coriander, cinnamon and hot pepper. Return to a boil, adjust the heat and continue to cook the chutney uncovered at a slow boil, stirring it often, until it holds a mounded shape when lifted in a spoon. Taste it carefully, remembering that the balance of flavors will improve as the chutney mellows in the jar; add, if needed, more vinegar, sugar, and/or salt.
Ladle the boiling-hot chutney into hot, clean pint or half-pint canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Seal the jars with new two-piece canning lids according to manufacturer's directions and process for 15 minutes in a boiling-water bath. Cool, label and store the jars. Let the chutney mellow for a few weeks before serving.
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