Green Tomatoes Chutney

Minoo used the green tomatoes given by the Richmond Sharing Farm to make some Green Tomatoes Chutney.

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The green tomatoes have to be harvested due to the change of weather to cold and wet fall weather.

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The sweet and tart Green Tomatoes Chutney made a great condiment for the Butternut Squash Cake. It also goes well with chicken dish.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups diced green tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup chopped red onions
  • 1 tart apple (like Granny Smith), peeled, cored and diced
  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili flakes
  • 2 star anise (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped candied ginger
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

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Source: South Arm Multicultural Community Kitchen

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

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Canning Apple Ginger Chutney

I was able to find time for the canning drop-in again last week. For the month of September, the canning drop-in is conducted at the Minoru Seniors Center, in the kitchen of the cafeteria. The canning drop-in runs on Tuesday, from 5PM to 7PM for the month of August and September.

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For last week’s canning drop-in, Karen DW of Your Secret Chef prepared Apple Ginger Chutney for sale at the Applepalooza event which will take place on Oct 2nd in the Apple Orchard at the south end of Gilbert Road, from 10AM to 2PM. It’s a celebration about apple. This is the second annual festival and it includes tasting and sales of apples, baked goods with apples and apple ginger chutney. The price of a jar of 250ml homemade organic apple ginger chutney is only $5 which is a bargain. There is also a lunch by chef Ian Lai ($5), face painting and crafts and wonderful music in the orchard.

This delicious condiment can be made with in-season apples now, or with non-seasonal ingredients any time of the year. It is delicious served with meats like chicken and grilled fish or combined with sour cream or cream cheese in appetizer toppings or sauces.

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The apples are home grown and it’s perfectly alright to use the imperfect apples for canning.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups (750 ml) prepared Granny Smith apples, about 5 large or 1 lb (500 g)
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (we substituted this with a cup of apple as we did not have the red bell pepper)
  • 2 cups (500 ml) chopped onion
  • 2 cups (500 ml) dark brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1- 1/2 cups (375 ml) cider vinegar
  • 1 cup (250 ml) golden raisins
  • 1/4 cup (50 ml) peeled and minced ginger root
  • 3/4 teaspoon (4 ml) ground mustard
  • 3/4 teaspoon (4 ml) salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) red pepper flakes

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Source: Bernadin via Karen DW

Makes about 7 x 250ml jars.

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Three-Ginger Pear Chutney

This is the second canning workshop organised by Richmond Food Secure. Originally, Karen wanted to do a peach chutney. But, since the Richmond Food Tree Sharing Project collected a lot of pears that week, Karen made a change of recipe to Pear Chutney instead. Karen is very versatile and she often has to decide on what to cook in the Gilmore Park Community Meal at the very last minute depending on what she gets from the food bank, Richmond Food Tree Sharing Project and other donors.

Chutney is a relish made by combining fruits and spices, originally accompanying Indian (south Asian) meals.  The Hindi word chatni means ‘to taste’.

Some chutneys use fresh ingredients and are served immediately, while others are cooked, then processed to preserve the fruits for later use.  Chutney can be sweet or sour, spicy or not; or combinations of these.  Like any relish, the texture can vary from smooth to chunky, depending on the creator.  Typical ingredients can include combinations of mango, apple, pears, peaches, plums, herbs, citrus fruits, tomato, raisins, coconut, vinegar(s), honey, sugar, garlic, ginger, cinnamon and chilies.  But generally, a chutney makes use of the ingredients which are typically at hand.

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For today’s recipe, we got to sample it.  Karen brought a jar of her Peach Chutney made last year for us to sample.  Chutney can be served beside cheeses and cold meats, or with hot meals.  Ginger/pear combinations are particularly delicious with pork or chicken.

The chutney pairs well with the tangy and creamy goat cheese.  This is a great appetizer for entertaining.

Ingredients

  • 6 cups peeled, cored and diced/sliced fresh pears (about 6-9 medium, or 1.1 kg), preferably half ripe and half not so ripe
  • 1 cup tart apple, peeled, cored and diced (about 1 large)
  • 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
  • 1/2 cup chopped candied ginger
  • 1/2 cup seedless raisins (50-60gm)
  • 1 1/4 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup golden brown sugar (160-175gm)
  • 1 to 2 whole garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, peeled (or 1 teaspoon ground dried ginger)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground dried ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

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This recipe makes 3 to 4, 250 ml jars.

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Tomato Chutney

The second chutney which Jane made is Tomato Chutney.  Jane used canned crushed tomatoes to speed up the process.  The ingredients are very similar to the Apple Chutney but Jane used a variation of sweetener and vinegar to this chutney.

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The Tomatoes Chutney is great on biscuits.  I found that the Tomatoes Chutney is sweeter  than the Apple Chutney which I like better.

Ingredients

  • 1 x 284 litre (100 oz) canned crushed tomatoes
  • 3 to 4 cups chopped red and green peppers
  • 5 medium onions, chopped
  • 2 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
  • 2 1/2 cups variation of sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups golden raisins
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon celery seeds

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Jane used 1 cup of palm sugar, 1 cup of large granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of pack brown sugar for the Tomato Chutney.

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Apple Chutney

Jane had promised to share in the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen some chutney recipes.  She brought some homemade chutneys to share with everyone some time ago and we are eager to learn how to make it.

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Jane made two types of chutneys.  The first chutney is Apple Chutney.  According to Jane, chutney originated from India.  It’s considered poor people’s food.  Chutney is also a diet food as people who try to reduce fat intake can have toast with chutney instead of butter.  Chutney can be eaten with anything from chicken, pork, etc.

In North America, people usually make chutney in summer and fall when fruits are in abundance.  This way, North Americans can still enjoy the taste of summer in the cold winter when fruit is not available.

Sugar and vinegar is the primary preservatives in making chutney.  Spices are added according to your own preferences.  Here are some of the pointers shared by Jane regarding vinegar:

  • Hard cider has very strong alcohol
  • Apple cider vinegar is good for arthritis
  • White wine vinegar is made from green grapes
  • White vinegar is made from chemical, not advised to use in cooking but good for cleaning

Ingredients

  • 3 jars 790ml (28 fl oz) apple sauce
  • 1/2 to 3/4 litre apple cider vinegar
  • 3 cups golden raisins
  • 796ml onion puree from 2 lbs onion (boiled and puree)
  • 2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 3 cups finely chopped red and green peppers
  • 2 tablespoon grated ginger (amount up to your preference)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground all spice

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I was not able to organize the ingredients for a photo shoot as the kitchen is quite havoc with things already started before I arrived.  Jane had started off with the cooking of the apple sauce as making chutney needs at least 2 hours to finish cooking.

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