Chutney made with eating apples

[Thunderbird]

My eaters are ready and as we have too many I want to make some chutney. I have a very good recipe (have eaten the results before and it's lovely) but it calls for cookers.

 

I was thinking if I added some cumin and chilli powder to counter the sweetness of the eaters would I get some sort of result, or just apple jam??!!

[Beardo]

most chutneys call for large amounts of sugar to be added to the cookers - just reduce the sugar.

[Thunderbird]

Cheers Nick, will do.

[bakerboy]

My eaters are ready and as we have too many I want to make some chutney. I have a very good recipe (have eaten the results before and it's lovely) but it calls for cookers.

 

I was thinking if I added some cumin and chilli powder to counter the sweetness of the eaters would I get some sort of result, or just apple jam??!!

Contact handlebar, his wife made the Chutney and Piccallili

[Thunderbird]

Right, will do! Cheers..

[John_R]

You might find the texture goes too soft, as eating apples often turn to mush when cooked.

[ack-ack]

I've been pulling my eaters early and using them in pies whilst they're still quite hard and sharp otherwise the birds ruin them. I dump a can of evaporated milk in before the lid goes on. They been coming out right nice.

[M.I.A]

I would like to know how to make Chutney, can you post some recipes?

 

I have too many and dont know what to do with them all....

[Thunderbird]

I'm going to give it a go with the eaters, will leave them in large pieces so if they break down a bit in the cooking there will hopefully be some chunks left.

[Beardo]

i like Delia's recipe for Green Tomato Chutney....

 

2 1/2 lb green tomatoes

2 lb onions

2 1/2 lb cooking apples

1 lb raisins

6 large crushed cloves of garlic

1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tbsp salt

2 leve desertspoons of ground ginger

1lb 6oz soft brown sugar

1 oz pickling spice

3 pints genuine malt vinegar.

 

A small preserving pan, eight 1lb preserving jars, a mincer, string and some gauze.

 

Wash the tomatoes and cut them into quarters, peel the onions and quarter them, quarter and core the apples, leaving the peels on and keeping them in water to prevent browning.

 

Using the medium blade of a mincer, mince the tomatoes and place them in the pan, next mince the onions, then the raisins followed by the apples (don't worry if they have now turned brown), adding them all to the pan. Now add the garlic, cayenne, salt ginger and sugar, blend everything thoroughly. Next tie the pickling spice in a small piece of double thickness gauze and attach it to the handle so that it hangs down into the other ingredients.

Now pour in the vinegar, bring to simmering point, remove any scum from the surface, then let it simmer very gently for approx. 3 1/2 hours with out covering. Sit occassionally esp. towards the end to prevent sticking. It's ready whe the vinegar has almost been absorbed, the chutney has thickened to a nice soft consistency and the spoon leaves a trail. Do be careful not to overcook. The recipe says that a food processor can be used instead of a mincer.

Be warned if you are making more than this amount (i.e. doubling the amount) it will take longer to cook/reduce/thicken.

 

Also her Old Dowerhouse Chutney is a winner (you could use wild plums as these are in season)

 

Complete Cookery Course – Delia Smith

 

1 ½ lb (700g) Victoria Plums

1 ½ lb (700g) Cooking Apples – weigh after peeling

8 oz (225g) green or red tomatoes

8 oz (225g) onions

1 lb (450g) stoned raisins

1 ½ lb (700g) Demerara sugar

4 oz (110g) preserved ginger in syrup

¼ oz ( 5 g ) garlic – finely chopped

¼ oz ( 5 g ) whole chillies

1 ½ tbsp cooking salt

1 pint malt vinegar

 

Method:

 

Pick over plums, wash, cut in half remove stones, cut halves in two or three if very large.

Roughly chop tomatoes, not too small.

Place both into preserving pan.

Chop or coarsely mince, onions, apples, raisins, and preserved ginger and add these to pan, together with chopped garlic, vinegar, salt and sugar.

Tie chillies in bag, and add to mix

Cook chutney very slowly 1 - 1 ½ hours, or until liquid has evaporated. May need stirring during cooking

 

The channel test !!

A chutney is ready when the vinegar has reduced sufficiently. The way to tell is to make a channel with a wooden spoon right across the surface of the chutney. If the spoon leaves a channel imprinted for a few seconds – without it being filled with vinegar – the chutney is done!

[Thunderbird]

Made it last night from a reliable recipe. I tasted some and it tasted great, so in six months time I have high hopes!

 

Let me know if anyone wants the recipe.

[Thunderbird]

I've had a few PMs about this so here's the recipe:

 

Obviously the quantities here are small so double, triple, quadruple up as desired! The original recipe comes from friends of mine who ran a youth hostel and I spent a few years staying with them in chutney making season, and we all used to muck in, in exchange for a few jars. They used cookers so for mine I have halved the sugar quantity, and added the chilli and cumin. So to be faithful to the original recipe (with cookers) omit the chilli and cumin, use 8oz sugar (and cooking apples obviously).

 

2lb apples

1.5lb onions

4oz dates

5.5oz raisins

4oz light brown soft sugar

1tsp ginger

0.5 tsp chilli powder

0.5 tsp cumin powder

1tsp salt

14fl.oz malt vinegar (5% acidity)

 

Peel and cut apple flesh into rough chunks. Peel and coarsely chop onions. Chop dates in half.

 

Cook uncovered in a heavy-bottomed pan, stirring and simmering gently on a low heat for about three hours, if you use 2x, 3x quantity you should not need to add more moisture as long as the heat is low. It's ready when glossy and a 'well' made across the surface doesn't instantly full with juice. Jar whilst hot into sterilised jars.

 

I am going to try mine after three months, the recipe says six but that's for cookers which will take longer for the flavours to develop. I'm hoping a nice, sweet-ish and slightly spicy chutney.