Bramley Apple And Pear Chutney Food

AUTUMN APPLE-PEAR CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Submerge 6 empty half-pint jars on a rack in a large pot of water. Cover and bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to low to keep jars warm until ready to fill.
• Combine apples, pears, onion, vinegar, sugar, cherries, lemon, mustard seeds, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves in a wide, nonreactive 4-quart pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Once it bubbles, reduce heat to medium; simmer gently, stirring often, until mixture is thickened and a spoon drug through leaves a trail that doesn't fill in immediately, about 1 hour. Toward the end of the cooking, make sure to stir every minute or so to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.
• Working with one jar at a time, remove empty jars from canning pot. Using a wide-mouth funnel, carefully ladle jam into jars, leaving 1/2 inch for headspace. Use a clean wooden chopstick to work air bubbles out of jars. Check headspace again and add more chutney if necessary to bring to 1/2 inch from the top.
• Wipe jar rims, apply lids and rings (not too tightly), and return jars to canning pot. Cover pot and return water to a rolling boil. Process for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, remove pot lid, and let jars stand in the cooling water 5 minutes to help ensure a good vacuum seal.
• Move jars to a folded kitchen towel or wooden cutting board to cool completely before checking seals. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and eaten promptly. Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place. Sealed jars are shelf-stable at least 1 year.

CLASSIC APPLE CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients in a large, heavy saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over a medium heat, then simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, for 30-40 mins, or until thick and pulpy. Remove from the heat, leave to cool and transfer to sterilised, clean, dry jars and seal.

BRAMLEY & WALNUT CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Tip all the ingredients, except the walnuts, into a preserving pan. Warm over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat a little, then let the mixture boil until the Bramley apples have broken down to a pulp, but the eating apples still hold their shape. This can take from 45 mins to 1 hr. You can tell that it is ready by running your wooden spoon through the mixture. Your spoon should briefly leave a channel in the mixture, and there shouldn't be liquid pooling into the space.
• Meanwhile, tip the walnuts into a small pan and cook over a low heat until they are lightly toasted, stirring frequently to ensure that they don't burn. Sterilise your jars.
• When the chutney is ready, stir in the walnuts and cook briefly, then pot the mixture into the jars. Will keep for at least a year.

LAURA'S FRUITY CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Halve, stone and chop the plums (about the same size as you would for an apple pie - not too big, not too small). Drop them into a large saucepan. Core, peel and chop the apples and pears in the same way. Peel, stone and chop the mango. Put all the fruit in the pan.
• Stir sugar, vinegar, onions, ginger, garlic, mustard seeds, coriander, crushed chillies and salt into the pan, then drop the cinnamon stick on top. Heat slowly for about 20 mins, giving an occasional stir, until the sugar has dissolved. Now leave the chutney to simmer at a steady pace, without a lid, stirring occasionally until reduced and thickened, but still with a nice balance of syrupy juice. This will take about 1½ hrs. You don't want to cook it until all the liquid has gone, as it will thicken once it cools. Discard the cinnamon stick.
• Using a heatproof jug, pour the chutney while still hot into sterilised jars. It will keep for about a year in a cool, dry place.

SPICY SQUASH & APPLE CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large preserving pan, then gently fry the onions, ginger, chilli, cardamom, cinnamon, mustard and cumin seeds together for 5 mins, until the spices are aromatic.
• Stir the garlic, squash and apples into the onions, then cook for 10-15 mins more, until the onions and apples are soft and the squash yields a little here and there.
• Stir in the turmeric and sugar and let it melt around the vegetables. Simmer for 5 mins - this process almost candies the chunks of pumpkin, so that it doesn't entirely break down during the next step.
• Pour in the vinegar, season with 2 tsp salt, then bring the chutney back to a simmer. Cook, stirring regularly, for about 30 mins or until the apple has cooked down to make a squishy base for the chutney, with chunks of tender pumpkin here and there, and a little syrupiness at the bottom of the pan - you don't want the chutney to be too dry as it will thicken as it cools.
• Spoon the hot chutney into sterilised jars and seal. The chutney can be eaten straight away, or left to mellow in a dark place. You can store it for up to six months.