Whilst chutneys may have originated in India, not shortly afterwards , the Romans and English empire were responsible for ensuring that they were made known to the rest of the world. Whilst this is a typical English chutney recipe, it is not hard to see where the influences are in terms of spicing . Absolutely fabulous with cheese, cold meats and eggs
Ingredients
Cooking apples – 1 kg (peeled, cored and roughly diced)
Onions – 2 medium
Red Chillies - 8 to 10 (stalks removed and finely chopped)
Garlic paste – 2 teaspoons
Ginger paste - 2 teaspoons
Brown sugar – 250 grams
White sugar – 125 grams
Cider vinegar – 375 ml
Cinnamon – 2 inch piece
Allspice - 1 teaspoon (ground)
Cloves – 2 whole
Bay leaves 2 (dried)
Salt – 1 teaspoon
Instructions
Put the cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves in a bouquet garni bag (see note)
Place the apples in a heavy based saucepan
Add the vinegar and slowly incorporate the sugar, stirring continuously until well mixed
Add the bouquet garni and the remaining ingredients and stir well
Slowly bring mixed ingredients to the boil ensuring that the sugar is well dissolved before boiling point is reached
Once boiling, turn down the heat to a gentle simmer
Simmer for between 45 minutes and 60 minutes until the chutney has reduced and is beginning to get a jam consistency
Take off the stove and remove bouquet garni
Hot fill into sterilized jars and seal
Allow to cool and refrigerate
Notes
Bouquet garni bags can be bought online. They are optional for use in this recipe but using them will make retrieving the whole spices from the chutney( prior to bottling) a lot easier