Saturday afternoon was taken up with making Spiced Plum Chutney.
It was my first go at any kind of chutney, but having had such success with the small batch jam, I was filled with hope that the results would be good. I chose a basic recipe from James Martin which I got creative with and added a few things. I have to say, that apart from it being rather more “soupy” than I wanted, the flavours are terrific and it goes marvellously well with a lovely strong cheddar.
It was remarkably easy to do :
Ingredients
2 shallots, chopped fine.
2 tsp olive oil.
500g plums, stoned and quartered.
50ml cider vinegar.
50ml balsamic vinegar.
Half a tsp cinnamon.
Half a tsp ground coriander.
Small piece of ginger, grated.
100g dark brown sugar.
Method
1. Begin by sweating off the chopped shallots in the oil. Once softened and transparent, add the plums, vinegar, cinnamon, coriander, ginger and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
2. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 mins or so, stirring from time to time, until the mixture thickens slightly.
I didn’t go for the sterilised jars option, I just put mine into a lidded dish and now it lives in the fridge. I doubt very much that it will last long enough to go off!
mmmM!....Lovely.....Sounds Nice...!
ReplyDeleteI remember a a boy, my Mum making Marrow chutney,
as we used to have a lot of marrows then.
My Dad used to say to her, "Are you making it to-day, or tomarrow" His English humour..Anyway...
Much the same as above.
Peel and seed the marrow, cut into small pieces, place in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, cover and leave for 12 hours.Drain well, and place in pan.
Chop, shallots and apples, and add.
Tie some peppercorns/ginger in muslin and put in pan. Add, sultanas/demerara sugar/vinegar. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until fairly thick.
Take out the bag of spices, pot and cover.
Not as well written as yours. But........
Cheap and easy to make, unlike a Dower House Chutney.
And, l do enjoy a nice chutney with one of my curries......But that's another story...!
Ciao...Salute...Bravo...Evviva....! :-)
Madam! Is there no maturing of this chutney? Straight from make to plate? Not that I'm frowning upon the situation, just slightly envious. I also chutneyed yesterday and mines got to sit for 3 months!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's SO unfair.
Willie, that marrow chutney sounds gorgeous! I'll have to tuck that one behind my ear for when I've a marrow that I don't know what to do with. :)
ReplyDeleteJane, sorry to disappoint - lol - but no, the longest you have to wait is for it to cool down! Still, I reckon yours is likely to be a far superior chutney. Mine is for those who want a short-lived chutney hit. :)
To my absolute shame, when I put my little chutney in the dark place chutney cupboard I found two unopened courgette chutneys from 2009. I make then abandon :( Immediate gratification chutney sounds such a better idea!
ReplyDeleteOh no! I guess they were manky, then? It'd be brilliant if they were still okay to use! Now that'd be maturing with a capital M. :)
ReplyDeleteHaven't opened them! Just put them back and slunk away feeling a bit shame-faced. As you say, nectar of the heavens or...rubbish.
ReplyDelete(I havea fresh batch of cheese maturing, so this could be Ploughman's opportunity IF chutney is still alive.)
OH!! If this batch of cheese fits your cheese criteria, will you share the process? We'd absolutely love to make cheese!
ReplyDeleteI opened the unopened courgette chutneys (turned out they were from 2008!). Looks great, tasted like rancid vinegar. Your no-wait chutney is definately the way forward!
ReplyDeleteSomeone's given me plums! Now I can have a proper go at this :)
ReplyDelete