Ready for the pantry!
My friend Claudette is a personal chef. She cooks professionally for people who can afford such things, and sometimes for people like me who scoff at the idea of hiring a personal chef while on vacation. When Claudette cooks, people pay attention. My kids love to have dinner at her house because it is guaranteed to be a noteworthy meal. She makes these amazing sausage rolls and serves them with a tomato chutney that is to die for. I enjoy the sausage rolls, but I have to admit, I’m fully prepared to forgo the rolls and resort to a spoon for the chutney. Seriously. That good.
Claudette is not one of those high-falutin’ chefs that keeps her recipes secret, though. So when I raved (over and over again) about the chutney, she shared her recipe with me. Claudette makes hers in small batches, but if I’m chopping and cooking, I’d just as soon make a pot full, so I increased the recipe substantially. I’m happy to report that it’s just as good as Claudette’s.
Tomato Chutney
Makes 8-1/2 pints
Mix the following ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil.
- 2-1/2 cups red wine vinegar
- 3-3/4 cups cider vinegar
- 3-3/4 cup sugar
- 5 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons mustard seed
- 2-1/2 teaspoons pepper
- 2-1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
Add:
- 5 pounds chopped tomatoes
- 5 red bell peppers, chopped
- 3-3/4 cup sliced green onions
If you’ve been around for long, you know I used my food processor to chop the tomatoes and peppers. If you don’t have one, no worries – just aim for a quarter-inch dice.
Simmer all ingredients for about two hours or until reduced by half. As the chutney thickens, you’ll need to stir more frequently (and watch out – it can get a bit volcanic as it bubbles away). Following standard canning procedures, ladle hot chutney into jars, leaving about 1/2″ head space. Screw on lids and bands, then process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Images below the jump.
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- Sink full of tomatoes.
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- Cored and (roughly) quartered; NOT peeled.
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- The magic of the food processor.
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- Onions, roughly quartered.
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- Quick work of the onions.
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- Just getting started.
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- Look at the “high water mark” on the pot and you can see how much the chutney has boiled down.
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- Ready for the pantry!
I would love to try this! I have a bunch of tomatoes that I need to use before they go bad. My only question is do you have any recommendation for a substitute for the peppers? Peppers don’t always agree with my digestion, so I very rarely use them.
Rebecca, I like to roast tomatoes, onions and sliced carrots when I make my tomato sauce….gives the sauce a slightly sweet taste and lots of body….maybe use some cooked carrots instead of the peppers in your chutney?
Sonia recently posted..A Birthday Tea Party
I think carrots would make a pretty good substitute. Thanks, Sonia!
Adore tomato chutney. Must. Try. This.
sarah henry recently posted..SF Street Food Fest: The Twitter Set and the Untwitterific
The tomato chutney looks so good. I would love to try this. Rather than using sugar, I often use maple syrup (one to one measurements of syrup for sugar). Do you think using syrup is as good for preserving?
I was JUST out in the garden and trying to figure out what to do with all the tomatoes still left out there. Since we’re expecting snow any day here in Michigan, this chutney is the perfect thing.
Jane Boursaw recently posted..Happy Halloween! What’s the Scariest Movie You’ve Ever Seen?
Sounds delish. I’ll keep it in mind when my tomatoes start coming in. They are just wee spring seedlings now.
Melanie @ Frugal Kiwi recently posted..Mozzarella, Ricotta, Haloumi and Feta
Our tomatoes are long gone, but I will keep this recipe for next year!
Yum! This looks like a super-easy recipe. Thanks for including all these photos of each step.
Susan recently posted..My Food Day Story: Food is a Team Sport by Lyn Huckabee
Wow, this looks wonderful.
ruth pennebaker recently posted..Where Have You Gone, Mickey Mantle?
Have never made this but it looks/sounds (and I bet it tastes) great.
merr recently posted..The 5-Question [Author] Interview: Valerie Hobbs
This post was made for me–I found a big box of roma tomatoes on sale for 50 cents a pound. I’ve been looking for recipes! I’m wondering if you can do the freezer canning method with this instead of the regular way. Thoughts?
MyKidsEatSquid recently posted..Homemade hasbrowns
I don’t see why it wouldn’t. If you try it, will you let us know?
Kris @ Attainable Sustainable recently posted..Patchwork Living Blogging Bee #10
I love most chutneys so I’ll have to try this one. Looks yummy.
[...] planning to stalk the grower and convince him to bring her large quantities so she can make more of the tomato chutney that her family so [...]