In a pickle: Damson and Green Tomato Chutney

It may be futile to publish a recipe calling for damsons and green tomatoes so late in the season, but I had to give the chutney a couple of weeks to settle-down to see if the flavour was what I was looking for.  It's still a question of faith as it won't really be ready until Christmas, but I'm now pretty certain that this is a winner!

When it comes to spices for chutney, I think it's a personal choice.  I prefer to put all the spices into a spice bag (or tied in a piece of muslin) rather than leave them in the chutney - when left in they can continue to exert their influence the longer the pickle is kept (dried chilli in particular).  I'm leaving the fresh ginger in, however.

The base recipe is taken from The River Cottage Cookbook and is - shock horror - in metric.  Really, as a thirty-something man, I really should do everything in metric but I can't bring myself to do it.  Anyway, that aside, the essence of the River Cottage recipe is really quantities of fruit/veg to dried fruit, sugar and vinegar.  Once you've got all that sorted, you can use whatever you have a surplus of...

This is a time-consuming recipe - you need to set aside the whole afternoon to make it.  Don't be tempted to chop the vegetables with a machine, or you'll end-up with something way too smooth.  Dice the vegetables by hand to around 5mm cubes.  This will, of course, take ages, so just put on some good music, sharpen your knife and relax!  Soon, your house will be filled with a delicate chutney aroma...

Damson & Green Tomato Chutney
(Makes 5-7 1lb jars) 

Spice Bag:
1tsp black peppercorns
1tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 star anise
1/2 tsp crushed dried chilli
12 cloves

5cm Ginger, finely diced
500g Damsons
500g Courgette - diced
1kg Green Tomatoes - diced
500g Cooking apple - peeled and diced
500g Onion - diced
500g Sultanas
500g Soft light brown sugar
600ml White wine vinegar

Put all the ingredients in a large non-reactive pan and bring slowly to a simmer.  Simmer for around two hours, stirring occasionally and removing any damson stones when they float to the surface.  The chutney is cooked when it's rich and thick and when you draw the spoon through it, you can see the bottom of the pan.

Pot into sterelised jars and hide away somewhere dark for at least two months...

Best served with a proper strong cheddar cheese... or maybe a little cold roast pork...

tags: courgette  apple  tomato  

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