Plum And Apple Chutney Food

SPICY PLUM & APPLE CHUTNEY

Steps:

• To sterilise the jars: run them with the lids and any rubber seals through the hottest cycle of your dishwasher. If you don't have a dishwasher, give the jars a good wash, then heat them in the oven at 150C/130C fan/ gas 2 for 30 mins. Don't bake seals - boil them in a pan of water for 10 mins. If you don't have lids you can buy jam pot covers from cook shops which you can then cover with fabric.
• Prepare the ingredients: first, peel the garlic cloves and cut them into slivers. Peel and thinly shred the ginger. Halve, peel and thinly slice the onions, then put them in a large, wide saucepan or a preserving pan with the garlic and ginger. Peel, core and chop the apples, then add to the pan with the spices, vinegar and salt.
• Bring the pan to the boil over a gentle heat, give everything a good stir, then turn down the heat and cover the pan (if you don't have a lid use foil). Simmer for 30 mins until the apples are cooked and pulpy.
• While the apples are simmering, stone and quarter the plums, then add them to the cooked apples with the sugar. Stir well and leave to bubble away, this time uncovered, for another 40 mins stirring regularly until the plums are cooked but still retain some of their shape. Ladle into the sterilised jars, seal and label. Use our downloadable Christmas labels if you like.
• This chutney is best kept for about a month before eating as the vinegar needs a bit of time to mellow. If you don't want the flavour of the spices to develop any more, then take out the cinnamon and star anise before potting. It will keep for 1 year in a cool place but once opened store in the fridge and use within a month.

APPLE PLUM CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Combine cooking apples, soft apples, onion, ginger, sugar, salt, hot pepper flakes and cider. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until soft apples start to break down.
• Stir in plums and simmer for 5 minutes longer or until plums start to soften and chutney is thickened. Remove from heat and stir in basil or mint.
• In clean canning jars, pour hot chutney into jar, inserting a narrow spatula gently into the jar to remove air bubbles. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 days or up to 1 month.

APPLE-PRUNE CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Place onion, raisins, prunes, ginger, vinegar, sugar, cumin, salt, and 2 cups water in a low-sided, 6-quart saucepan. Set over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil.
• Reduce to heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 40 minutes.
• Add the apples and 1 1/2 cups water. Cook, stirring frequently, until apples are soft and translucent and liquid has been absorbed, about 50 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
• Transfer to a large bowl set over an ice bath to chill, and store in airtight container, refrigerated, up to 4 weeks.

PLUM CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Mix plums and sugar together in a heavy-bottomed stockpot. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture turns to liquid, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Stir salt, ginger, chili powder, cloves, and cinnamon into the mixture. Cook over low heat until desired consistency is reached, stirring often to prevent chutney from sticking, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust spices if needed.
• Mix vinegar into the pot and cook over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning, for 5 minutes more. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate and use within 3 to 4 weeks.

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.