At the moment you are probably preparing for a glut of red tomatoes, but the time will come sooner than you think when you are trying to deal with the end if season green tomatoes and you will be ready for them with this recipe! I, and many of my friends, think this is the best chutney recipe EVER. And believe me, I have tried hundreds. Literally.
This recipe calls for candied ginger and it is perhaps this addition that makes it sooooo good. I added the syrup as well, but feel free to keep that for another use, like making ice cream, yummy! I was given the recipe, so thank you to whoever conceived it, but have made changes. I have added fresh ginger in addition to the candied ginger, just for that extra something. I also used jam sugar, i.e., sugar with pectin in it as I find it helps the chutney set better, but this is absolutely not a necessity and your chutney will be just fine without it. I’ve made notes in the recipe where I changed things.
It’s a sweetish chutney, so feel free to cut back on the sugar if you like, or add a couple more chillies. I also added red peppers as I had loads and they give great colour, but I have written it as optional as they weren’t in the original recipe. The recipe can be easily halved or quartered if you don't have quite the glut that I have each year!
INGREDIENTS
4.5kg green tomatoes, chopped
4 red peppers, chopped (optional)
5 cups brown sugar packed
(I used 4 cups of jam sugar – sugar with pectin in it as it makes things set quicker, but it’s not vital)
4 cups (I used 4 big ones) onions, chopped
4 cups raisins (I used 200g goji berries as I had no raisins!)
4 cups cider vinegar (I used a 750ml bottle)
8 Tbsp. candied ginger (I used a 350g jar including the syrup)
1 big piece fresh ginger (not in the original recipe but I had lots…)
4 tbsp. mustard seeds
4 tsp chilli pepper flakes (or use fresh chillies if you prefer)
4 tsp fennel seeds (I left these out as I didn’t have any)
4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cloves
4 sticks cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
METHOD:
Mix all and simmer 45 minutes. I tend to cook it until it is the consistency I want which sometimes takes a bit longer or a bit shorter.
And that’s it! Simple yet deeelicious! Now let’s hope I start putting up more recipes more quickly too…
