This recipe will come as no big surprise as I did give fair warning that my recipes for the next couple of months would be heavily apple biased due to the yield from my tree in the garden. I thought this an especially good recipe as it requires storing in a cool dark place for around 6-8 weeks to develop its full flavour – just in time for Christmas.
The chutney eats particularly well with cold ham and pork pies but is just as delicious in a cheese sandwich. It is very easy to make, however it does require attention for 2-3 hours whilst simmering away in the pan.
Ingredients:
- 1kg apples – roughly chopped
- 225g onions – diced
- 100g sultanas or raisins
- 320g soft brown sugar
- 750 ml cider vinegar
- 3 tsp mixed spice
- 3 tsp ground coriander
- 2 ½ tsp pimenton (sweet) – if you cannot get pimenton use mild paprika
- 1 heaped tsp salt
- Yield: 3-4 jars depending on the sizes used.
Method:
Place all of the ingredients in a large saucepan and slowly bring to the boil making sure all the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat down and continue to simmer the mixture for a couple of hours, stirring from time to time to ensure that the mixture doesn’t stick and burn the bottom of the pan.
The chutney is ready when you can draw a line across it and the channel line that the spoon has made does not fill with liquid. As the moisture level in different varieties of applies varies, you may find that the simmering process takes longer (I’ve known my chutney to take up to 3 hours).
Pot into sterilised jars, seal and store in a cool place – this is where patience is required – for 6-8 weeks for a fully developed flavour.
The Chutney begins looking like this…
…and should end up looking like this, before you decant it into jars
